A Forrest Rose in My Garden
Saturday, June 13, 2026
 | | Rosa 'Boscobel' 13 June 2026 |
Rosa 'Boscobel', bred by British breeder
David C.H. Austin, is named after the historic Boscobel House in Shropshire,
England. History of the Name: Boscobel House (built in 1632) is famous for its
role in the English Civil War. After his defeat at the Battle of Worcester in
1651, King Charles II fled and hid from Oliver Cromwell's soldiers on the
Boscobel estate—most famously in the "Royal Oak" tree.The etymology
of the place name "Boscobel" itself traces back to Italian roots:"Bosco": derived from the Late Latin
boscus, meaning "wood" or
"forest.""Bella":
from Latin, meaning "beautiful."Combined, it is believed to translate
roughly to "beautiful wood" or "fair wood" in Italian.Unlike many
perennials, roses are usually named after people or places. Because I take
seriously being a rosarian (a rose fanatic), when I find out the name of a rose, somehow I get a pleasant knowledge of history.
David Austin
started hybridizing roses in 1961 when
he introduced Rosa ‘Constance Spry’. He died on December 18, 2018, at the age
of 92. Born in 1926, he was affectionately known as the "Father of the English Rose" and spent his life breeding
famous varieties that combined the charm and fragrance of old roses with the
repeat-blooming trait of modern roses.
While my
wife Rosemary died on December 9, 2020, living in what used to be our house and
our garden I cannot escape my loss. I am stared at by her framed portraits and
that of our family throughout the house. When her cat Niña is in my bed I
relive my loss.
One of the
few situations when I fell a bit less
melancholic is when I scan my roses and plants. My vision is very good so I am
able to remove the dust specks with my Photoshop 8 which is 23 years old.
Today I was
struck by the lovely colour of this English Rose so I knew I had to scan it.
Thanks to my
search of the etymology of Boscobel I found out that boscus is Latin for wood
or forest. Now I know where the Spanish word for forrest “bosque” came from.
Saved by the Geniuses of EJ Phone Repair
Monday, June 08, 2026
 | | Rosa 'Mrs. Oakley Fisher' & Hosta 'First Frost' 8 June 2026 | Today June 8,
the folks at EJ Phone Repair solved the problem of not being able to place
photographs in my blog. Mike came to my house and in under 3 minutes solved the
matter. It seems that my Google Blogger was no longer compatible with my Firefox
Blogger. He switched it to Google Chrome and voilà.
For many
days I was completely depressed and felt like my life was just waiting to die.
More than ever I was realizing that in my daily tasks writing my blog is an
element of stability. My blog, particularly now in the gardening season,
enables me to place my plant scans as an excuse to write something.
At first
Mike and Chris at EJ Phone Repair suspected that my 22-year-old Dell CRT
monitor was the problem. They lent me a 28 inch wide Acer monitor. The problem
persisted. One it was solved they sold me the splendid 28 inch wide Acer for
little money. While this blog is being placed June 8 I am writing this June 9.
Today I had
the pleasure of taking my Dell monitor to Kent Street where I gave it a fond
goodbye as it served me well. The new Acer has been previously calibrated for
colour but I will be hiring a gentleman named Harris to calibrate the monitor,
my scanner and printer shortly.
I am a happy
man.
Perfectly Asymmetrical
Sunday, June 07, 2026
 | | Pam & top left Hosta 'Polka Dot Bikini' - Hosta 'Snake Eyes' & Hosta 'Strip Tease' | In quite a
few blogs I have written of my love for asymmetry. Some years ago I had the
good fortune to know a model called Pam when I was teaching at Focal Point on
10th Ave. To my delight she told me that she had been born minus an
arm and one of her legs was longer. In her late teens the long leg was
shortened. The result was an asymmetrical
body. I wrote about it for a photographic web page called Zone Zero that was
the idea of a Mexican photographer called Pedro Meyer.
Zone ZeroA few days
ago I noticed a hosta called “Polka Dot Bikini” that not only had asymmetrical
patterned leaves but one leaf in particular grabbed my attention.
As a former
member (I quit last year) of the American Hosta Society when I went to
conventions, judges avoided giving prizes for hosta with asymmetry. And yet one
of the first hostas to feature it is a well-known Hosta ‘Strip Tease’.
Today I
decided to feature three hosta leaves with a photograph that I took of Pam that
shows the wonders of her body,
I have
mentioned many times how tourists who flock to Mexico often write or mention
how in markets the piles of fruit and vegetables are perfectly symmetrical.
I believe
that an appreciation of asymmetry is the next step in civilization. As far as I
know one of the few asymmetrical cars was Rambler that had a passenger door
that was larger. There is no real reason why car fronts have to be perfectly
the same on one side as the other.
Many of my
35mm Nikons and particular my excellent FM-2 are perfectly asymmetrical. I
wonder why designers went that route.
Most of my
portraits are not the same on one side as on the other. In my landscapes I never place the horizon
in the middle.
Is asymmetry in human evolution?
I could not resist so I addeda most asymetric Rosa 'Zepherine Druhin'
A Roundabout
Saturday, June 06, 2026
 | | Rosa 'Emily Carr' 5 June 2026 |
I have found a roundabout method to place photographs into my Blogger blog. I scanned this lovely rose and then sent it to myself by email. I clicked on the scan and I was given the chance to share it. This I did in my Facebook page. Once there I copied it and then pasted it here. It worked. This is awfully elaborate but it means that I will be able to write a few blogs before the chaps from EJ Phone Repair on Monday can sort through my problems.
A Temporary Solution to my Blogger Problem
Friday, June 05, 2026
 | | Niña, left 7 my departed Niño (May 12) right |
I am unable to put new photographs into my blog. I can put old photographs. This means that I can at least write my daily blogs. It is a slight relief. The folks from EJ Phone Repair will come to my house on Monday to see if my problem can be resolved. Meanwhile I will post these blogs.
Memory & Associatiion
Thursday, June 04, 2026
 | | Filomena de Irureta Goyena & her baroque pearls | When I was a
little boy around 8 in Buenos Aires, I remember one day that we were eating
chicken. I picked up a leg to eat it. My father instantly hit me on the head
with the flat of his knife. To this day when I eat chicken with my hands, my
nose itches and I have to wipe my fingers with a serviette.  | | George Waterhouse Hayward |
Today I felt
lazy about doing my usual one hour and 15 minute bike ride to Jericho Beach. It
did not take me long before I had my grandmother telling me in Spanish, “Ante pereza diligencia,” or “face laziness with diligence.”
 | | Dolores Reyes de Irureta Goyena |
On my
kitchen island I have some baroque pearls that were my mother. I am waiting for
my granddaughter to come and pose for me and I will have her wear them. I
remember that my mother told me that if pearls were not worn they lost their
luster.
In the
morning after having had my breakfast in bed I have Rosemary telling me in my
memory, “Make the bed neat for the cats.”
When I go to my bathroom I make sure the kitty litter does not smell. Rosemary
would tell me to change it.
Also today
when I opened my kitchen cupboard to take out my tea mug I noticed two blue
gloves. Because my male cat Niño had lymphatic cancer of the intestines I had
to give him a human cancer pill every other day. I was told I could not touch
the little pink pill. I used the gloves. These gloves are almost the last
tangible items related to Niño. Do I throw them away? We associate conversations and objects
with the people (or cats) that are no longer with us.
For me it is
magical to remember and associate.
AI & the Loss of Human Imagination
Wednesday, June 03, 2026
The word
imagination comes from the Latin imaginatio, meaning "the forming of a
mental image". It entered the English language in the mid-14th century via
Old French. Here is how the concept breaks down: Root Word: imaginari (to
picture oneself / represent) Core Source: imago (an image, likeness, or
ghost)Deepest Origin: The Proto-Indo-European root aim-, meaning "to
copy" or "to imitate"Historically, the term was heavily tied to
the philosophical concept of "making the absent present," or
conjuring up a mental picture of something not currently being perceived by the
physical senses.
Roots and
Breakdown Image (imago): Refers to a likeness, appearance, or
reflection.-ation: A suffix denoting an action or process. Combined, it
literally means "the process of creating a mental
image."Interestingly, imago shares a Proto-Indo-European root that means
"to copy". Therefore, at its very core, imagination is the mind's
ability to copy, recreate, and manipulate impressions from the physical world
to form entirely new concepts.
In the last
few months I have seen famous medieval paintings or paintings up to the 19th
century that move because people have been using AI.
I believe
that what makes us human (I do not think cockroaches have that ability) is our
ability to “create a mental image”. Furthermore this might lead to the diluting of human imagination.
Now I avoid
all that knowing that when I post one of my photographs or plant scans in this
blog, that these images are mine and have no connection to AI.
The photograph
here is followed by the original. The original photograph is a b+w almost-portrait
reflecting my falling in love with Estela in Great Expectations when I was in
the 5th grade and not liking her mentor Miss Havisham. The colour
image is the result of me using my phone to photograph the framed portrait on my
living room wall. With my 22-year-old Photoshop 8 I added a bit of saturation.
It was
through my imagination and the not so gently pushing of the art directors I
worked with (and Vancouver Magazine editor Malcolm Parry) that I developed a
personal style which is just about disappeared in this century. An identifiable
personal style is the Holy Grail of photography.
Now as few
photographers want to face people, talk to them, find mutual connections before
taking their portraits (and perhaps using a good studio light) we are left with
street photography. I think that particularly in Vancouver, if Fred Herzog
would return from the dead, he would be not in the least inspired to take his
street photographs as all the bright colours and neon lights are gone.
Worse than
sitting at the Van Dusen Flora Hall to watch 100 bad slides of roses (as I did with
my Rosemary in 1991) would be to see 100 projected contemporary street photographs
taken by local photographers who are no match for that decisive-moment-Guy that
was Henri Cartier-Bresson.
Having a
personal imagination is important.
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