Dogs and roses

An odd number of red roses is a sure sign that love is blossoming

Shopaholic hounds

Wild roses are sometimes called dog roses . Today I saw dogs in unexpected places and roses galore . Roses in gardens and shops, climbing over walls and adorning balconies. I read somewhere that if people are asked to say which is their favourite flower and which is their favourite number a vast amount of people will say roses and number seven. There is probably a scientific explanation. How can roses not be a favourite flower? They come in colours for all tastes, from

Strong vibrant yellows and oranges to delicate pinks and white.  What woman has never felt weak at the kneese when presented with red roses , the greatest symbol of true love. In Britain to be given a dozenred roses is a sure sign of a serious suitor. In Italy however it is considered lucky to be given an odd number of roses. So if you are sent thirteen red roses please don't throw one away in a panic like I did .

Along with all the roses I admired today I saw some little dogs that looked very happy to be accompanying their owners running their errands.

Helping to deliver the letters

The goldfinch of the meadow

Whenever we drove to the sea on the South coast it was always a thrill going through Hampshire to see the gorse or broom growing at the side of the road and in the New Forest. My mum loved these plants with their bright yellow flowers that were happy to grow in wild open spaces and wind swept meadows.She 'd point them out and say that it was a sign that we were nearing the sea. I can never tell which is broom and which is gorse but they are both called ginestre in Italian so they are from the same famil, they are both evergreens with bright yellow flowers in the summer months. From my Medieval History lessons at school I remember broom as being on the badge of the Plantaganets. These kings that ruled from abot 1154 to 1485 might have chosen this plant to represent them because of these qualities, golden bright flowers, hardy and strong, fearless in the face of the elements. This lovely poem in praise of broom is by the Welsh poet from the Middle ages called Dafydd ap Gwilym, he lived from about 1315 till 1350 ish. The Welsh call Broom the goldfinch of the meadow.

It's branches are arrayed in gold
It's boughs the sight in winter greet
With hues as bright; with leaves as green
As summer scatters o'er the scene

An angel mid the woods of May
Embroidered it with radiance gay,
That gossamer with gold bedight
These fires of God - these gems of light.

Broom

Gorse

Common Broom or goldfinch of the meadow

Flower families brightening up the town

This afternoon going for a walk with my little grandson at a slow pace we looked at the world through his eyes. The scents of the May flowers and the acute observation of the world around us took me back to when I walked to school. Really granny talk this. I love walking past gardens and always appreciate the care and effort people have made to give pleasure to everyone who passes. It's not like a back garden which is for the owners . Banks covered with crocuses and daffodils, a lilac bush place  at the front, roses growing over a railing, all enhance the town for everybody.Looking at the flowers with my grandson I remembered all the stories I would make up about them, especially pansies, they always look like they have little faces. Roses can be a whole kingdom. the queen and king are the full blown roses and their subjects are the rose buds. It is easy to see how Walt Disney was so inspired by flowers, particularly in Fantasia and Alice in Wonderland. Today we took photos of the flowers and I told him some stories and we talked to the dogs who came to greet us, the old men sitting out on their balconies, the people we knew who we met and told them all we were looking for a blue ice cream. Only one person knew what we were talking about, it was a Smurf flavoured ice cream, or Puffi, in Italian.

A garage wall looks much better with a rose bush in front of it

These little pansies waiting to dance

Pansy faces staring out of the undergrowth

Spectators waiting for the match to start

These lovely roses peeping over the top of a high plain wall make the street more attractive

Roses beside a driveway

A whole kingdom of roses

the queen of the Rose kingdom

A hidden garden off a busy main road

Roses climbing over the fence so both neighbours can enjoy them

Rose garden

Roses in front of a garage

Back gardens are mainly for the pleasure of the owners

Il mese delle Rose , il mese di Maria

sans espine, without thorns

Roses in a variety of colours

Yellow roses can  mean jealousy

Il n'est rose sans espine, There are no roses without thorns, often used to talk about love

In Italy May is known as the month of Mary and the month of roses. Often you will find a little chapel that is opened specially and everyone is given a rose. Roses are in full bloom in all the gardens in every colour of the rainbow. Pink English roses are treasured for their delicate beauty and are at their best in May before the sizzling heat of summer.. Roses are often considered to be the most beautiful of flowers. Their colours, their scent , their soft velvety petals. Each colour has a meaning in the language of flowers. Red is for true love , yellow- jealousy, white and pink for weddings. You just have to watch out for the thorns and wear gloves when gardening. Non ci sono rose senza spine, there are no roses without thorns.

May must be the most green or eco- friendly month. No need for central heating or air- conditioning. You can ride your bike without fear of bronchitis or dehydration, you can stay out in the sun all day , you can sleep at night. There is the whole of the  summer to look forward to , There is beauty all around us. No wonder poets have been inspired by May for centuries.

Just one problem here , now is the time to change over our wardrobes and shake out all our summer dresses, but why oh why don't they fit .?

All through the winter

To keep myself warm

I ate bananas and potatoes

And polenta made with corn

But now the summer's coming

I'm regretting all of that

Cos looking in the mirror

I realise I am fat .

Angie

three red roses for true love

A little chapel used to bless roses for Mary

Flowers as food

A light lunch for he first day of the Easter holidays

Avocado ,tomatoes, mozzarella and olives stuffed with an almond can quickly be arranged to look like a flower

Courgette flowers, bring sunshine to the table

If you go to the greengrocer early in the morning at this time of year you will see a whole array of Courgette flowers. they are quite delicate and are best eaten on the day of purchase. My favourite way to serve them is dipped in batter and fried in oil. Sometimes I  tuck a piece of anchovy fillet or cubes of mozzarella inside before dipping them in the batter. Today there wasn't time for that so I made a  frittata using four eggs, salt, pepper,a dash of milk and some grated Parmesan cheese. Beat all together in a glass bowl. Prepare the courgettes flowers by carefully removing the pistil and washing and drying very carefully. Then add them to the beaten egg mixture. Heat some oil and a piece of butter in an omelette pan and when the butter is sizzling add the egg and courgette flower mixture. Let it cook on one side and then slide onto a large plate and flip over and cook the other side. This is nice with a few anchovy fillets arranged on the top.

Atavistic pleasure in the changing seasons

Having a party after the Winter sleep, a welcome return

Pretty pink daisies, a present from last year, a welcome return Hey nice to see you.

When you have a balcony it is often easier to have annual plants, that go well with each season. Geraniums and maybe a Bougainvillea in the Summer, heather,pansies and cyclamens in Winter. I like to make room though for a few perennial plants. I find great satisfaction in seeing them bloom profusely, having been practically invisible all Winter and showing none of the promise of their magnificent blooms. It gives me as much pleasure as a large shrub in a garden to see them make their welcome  appearance in a vase.
This poem by Henry Vaughan, I think reminds us of the pleasures of the passing of the seasons. that if it were Summer all the time we wouldn't appreciate Springs wonderful show. Henry Vaughan (1621-16959, cam from the Brecon Beacons, in Wales. He dearly loved the countryside that he grew up in, and it says something that he could write a poem like this, because it rains an awful lot in Wales.I am very fond of this little poem because I like to think of Henry Vaughan loving the countryside where he grew up and enjoying nature, all those hundreds of years ago, and feeling just like we do now.

Were all the year one constant sunshine,we
Should have no flowers,
All would be drought and leanness; not a tree
Would make us bowers;
Beauty consists in colours ;and that's best
Which is not fixed but flies and flowers.


This poem by Samuel Daniel, a British poet and Historian, (1562-1619) also tells us of the pleasure the poet found in nature. the word 'bosom' is always guaranteed to raise a smile at school.

Now each creature joys the other
Passing happy days and hours;
One bird reports unto another
By the fall of silver showers;
Whilst the earth, our common mother,
hath her bosom decked with flowers.

 

The magic of wisteria

Wisteria growing profusely along a railing and up the side of a house

Wisteria blending in among the evergreen trees and looking quite at home

Wisteria wrapping itself happily around a lamp-post on a busy street

Wisteria lolling gracefully along an attractive stone wall

One of my favourite memories of my first Italian spring was the abundant wisteria. From early March onwards it magically appears everywhere. Twiggy- like branches creep over walls and slide gracefully around lampposts, wend their way through the branches of the magnolia and evergreen trees, then at the click of  Mother Nature's  fingers they burst into full and frothy magnificent blooms. Technically wisteria might be considered a parasite, like ivy or  mistletoe. Recently my brother heard on "Gardener's question time' that ivy actually is good for trees, not to worry when it winds its clingy way round the bark of your beloved cherry tree, it is isn't doing any harm. The wisteria is named after someone called Gaspare Wistar (1761-1818), it's like his parents knew. In the language of flowers wisteria is associated with friendship and hospitality . Looking at my photos of all the wisteria brightening up the town I thought of how much they are like friends who can really help you feel better, give you a boost, bring out the best in you, just like the wisteria is doing here.

In Italian wisteria is known as glicine, and is often used to describe a colour of material. Look out for a pretty wisteria - coloured  top or scarf or even a cushion to bring the spring into your home.

White and purple wisteria join forces to give spring colour

Gentlemen, gentiluomini

These are my recent gifts from my very charming three year old grandson. He is already showing signs of being a gentleman. It is in his blood. The first time that my mum met my daughter's father-in-law, she said quietly, "He is a real gentleman". She was always sensitive to such a quality. My grandson chose the orchid for me, all on his own. The heart-shaped cake was also his own idea. He made it with his Mum, my daughter, for me and my husband for Valentine's Day. The teachers at his nursery school told the children all about Valentine's Day and what it means. He drew a lovely picture of his Mum dancing. Now he thinks Valentine's Day is to celebrate love for the whole family. He is right really. A family always starts out with the love between two people and without that, there would be no family. Long live love, evviva l'amore.

Signs of Spring

Even though we live in a town, I'm constantly aware of the changing seasons and all the nature to be found around me. Now it's February, I 'm on the lookout for snowdrops. I found some today. Loads and loads actually, but they look better photographed in clusters .

Snowdrops which means gocce di neve are known as bucaneve in Italian, which gives the idea of them piercing their way through the snow.

Here is a lovely poem about snowdrops, by the Victorian poet, Caroline Norton. She was born on 22nd March 1808, the granddaughter of the Irish playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan, who wrote The Rivals.
Caroline Norton is mostly remembered for her successful struggle to reform unjust Victorian laws related to women's rights. In her day she was considered a female Byron and wrote many poems which express her suffering in love. Maybe she thought of herself as a snowdrop, fighting through her emotional pain.

For Snowdrops are the harbingers of Spring,--
A sort of link between dumb life and light,--
Freshness preserved amid all withering,--
Bloom in the midst of grey and frosty blight,--
Pale Stars that gladden Nature's dreary night! 

(from The Child Of The Islands - Winter, XXV)

February Flowers

My friend works as a volunteer at the Centro Aiuto alla Vita, which literally means "Centre for Helping Life". Every year on the first Sunday of February she sells primulas to raise money. It is another sign that Spring is on the way and colour has returned to the balcony.

Over a year ago I bought these Christmas roses. They were over very quickly and then, for about eight months, just green leaves. At last they are repaying my patience and have been a joy for a month, definitely a beautiful Winter flower worth waiting for.