More Ms Graham T
Also from Mottisfont. The big drawback to rose photos is they don’t bring you the fragrance. Ms Graham has a lovely what Austin calls myrrh or tea smell*; I don’t think she smells like myrrh or tea but I don’t know what to call it instead. I do find it rather intriguing and mysterious, so maybe it is something like myrrh after all.** It seems to me a not at all standard rose smell, but an American friend visiting us at the old house said of Constance Spry***, who has the same not-myrrh not-tea smell, Oh! That’s what a rose ought to smell like.
* * *
* There’s a solemn growing subcategory of Rose Nerd which is Rose Fragrance Nerd. Its expression is getting as bad as wine writing.
** It’s still not a tea smell. Nothing about the way Ms Graham smells reminds me of staggering around in the morning groping for things and moaning.
*** http://www.davidaustinroses.com/english/showrose.asp?showr=4262
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That photo makes me feel kind of swoony.
Oh lovely. That is just about my favourite colour in a rose (although I do like the very dark, almost black, deep red ones as well). We have the walls of our living room here painted that warm golden colour.
May I ask, of you or any other rose experts, whether you know the name of that purple-pink semi-double coubert rose that has an extraordinarily intense and wonderful smell? I keep looking for a name(s) but only coming up with the white coubert, Blanc Double de, etc, etc.
I hope today has been a good day for you. :)
I’m not sure what you mean by ‘coubert’ rose, but Roseraie de l’Hay is a semi-double purple-pink rugosa (like Blanc double) with THE most amazing smell.
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Thank you, I’ll have a look for that.
Sleep well and soundly (although I appreciate this sounds a bit Vulcan-ish).
Vulcan is good. :)
I’m SO glad that spent head of a previous bloom is in this shot too, or I’d not believe this was real at all. The petals are so perfectly placed and arranged and the blooms are so rich and glowy…
You know, I never used to like yellow roses all that much, but it seems I’m an instant convert. Your blog is DANGEROUS. :)
Your blog is DANGEROUS. :)
******** Oh good. :) I long to be a bad influence.
I picked up the spent-head trick from a professional photographer. Balance or contrast or something. :) You still kind of have to *pick* your spent head but it’s still a useful tool.
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If it will help, I’d be happy to abandon my job and life here and abscond to Hampshire to live without money or job or housing, dragging two confused felines and about ten thousand books behind me, all because you describe and photograph it so winningly.
How’s THAT for bad influence? You made me homeless! heh.
I’m VERY proud! :)
Oh, how lovely!
(And thank you for all the excerpts from Fire–I look forward to reading the rest of all the stories as some point, because surely your editors would not be so cruel as to deny us readers what happens next…)
Hope tomorrow brings you a lot of soup ladles,
Nema
surely your editors would not be so cruel as to deny us readers what happens next…)
******* Well that’s the plan. :)
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Lovely! Yellow roses always remind me of my grandfather…
Jeanne Marie