What first?

Do you post a picture or the title first? I generally choose a picture to write about then decide on the title. Sometimes there is an ambiguity because my image may have nothing to do with the title or the actual wording of the post.

So why Vinca? It’s a cheery little flower, nice colour, it scrambles over the ground in a green mass and then in spring these lovely, twirly flowers pop up. I just wish I could get it to grow better, but I think our garden is too shady. Also if you look closely the five petals of the flower spiral inwards in a whorl.

As to the question ‘what first?’ it all depends on how I’m feeling, how inspired (or uninspired) I feel.

Flower finger painting

A digital drawing of a flower, perhaps a chrysanthemum? Drawn in a sketching app on my phone that has a symmetry tool. It means that as you draw a curve it can be mirrored, or made symmetrical on different axises, (not sure if that’s the right word). Doing a finger painting is hard to control. I do have a stylus for my screen but I don’t know where it is. Perhaps I could have done a better job with it. The sketch app is not one I use that often.

Purple for healing

I went to the opening of Arts and Minds which is a gallery and support space for veterans today. It is at Middleport in stoke-on-trent. They were selling crocheted poppies for remembrance day, but they also had a few purple poppies for healing. I bought one and am wearing it on my jumper near my heart. It’s symbolic of how I feel. My heart is breaking and needs to heal. I’ve tried to Kee busy today, but somehow feel sadder.

My favourite poppy painting

Ten years ago I painted this beautiful flower. I think it’s a type of poppy called Shirley, I grew some from seeds. What I like is the pale centre instead of the usual dark, or black pattern in the middle. I deliberately used a pale background to compliment the light reflected on the petals. When poppies unfurl from their buds they look papery but they are quite strong, not delicate, its just a shame they don’t last very long and soon fade.

Hidden passion flower

Deep in the jungle of vegetation that is our back garden are a few passion flower plants. They were coming into bud over the last few days and at last one has flowered! It’s sitting next to a fushia plant and is on the ground. Another one is trained up the downpipe to the guttering and a third is trained along the trellis fence above the wall. The only worry is the hot weather and lack of water. We have been using a hosepipe but that is likely to be banned soon. That’s part of the reason why I hang the hanging baskets one above the other.. It drops through and waters the one below too..

Peony

Our old peonies didn’t flower this spring but a new peony has come into bloom and its a pale creamy pin. Is a bright spot in a very overgrown jungle! Hubby asked if it was a poppy and I thought it would be until he showed it to me. I don’t even remember planting it.

Gardening takes hard work and effort. I wish I had the energy to do more of it. The garden needs a serious hacking back. Bringing light back in and reducing shade… Its actually quite frightening.