Mosaic Monday - A rose by any colour...

'Oh my love is like a  red, red rose' have you ever tried spinning this yarn for a lovely lass, gentlemen?
Here's the full original version as written by Robert Burns back in the 18th century, if you have a need for it to accompany that bunch of red roses you have bought for your lady.

She might not be able to appreciate such old fashioned sentiments so be sure the roses you are giving her says it all. Choose the reddest of red roses you can find!

		A Red Red Rose
O, my luve's like a red, red rose,            That's newly sprung in June.       O, my luve's like the melodie,            That's sweetly play'd in tune.   As fair art thou, my bonie lass,  So deep in luve am I,       And I will luve thee still, my Dear,  Till a' the seas gang dry.         Till a' the seas gang dry, my Dear,            And the rocks melt wi' the sun!    O I will luve thee still, my Dear,             While the sands o' life shall run.         And fare thee weel, my only Luve,      And fare thee weel a while!     And I will come again, my Luve,              Tho' it were ten thousand mile!                                       Robert Burns No, no not blue ones like those above. Not those pink ones either...the colour's not red enough! The right colour but not showy enough... Hey, wait...this one is lovely! Or that one even! Tell you what gents, if you see roses like these two yellow ones, grab them, for your girlfriend will surely love them!!! Oh my love is like a yellow, yellow rose... Sounds alright to me. For more Mosaic Monday, click on the link below:    http://www.dearlittleredhouse.blogspot.com

Today's Flowers-The Mediterranean Look.

Flowers of the Mediterranean, how I love them. It is not just the flower that is so beguiling, it is the style in which these plants and their brilliant flowers are displayed.

Display Number 1: The Smouldering Spanish Look.

This is how the streets in the village of  Sitges is made memorable for me. One snapshot for my album!

Display Number 2: The Charming Geranium-Balcony Look.

This typically Mediterranean balcony window display is THE essential Mediterranean icon. In every  village, town or city- even in shop windows, the lovely terracotta pots with their geraniums made me yearn to transform one part of my own garden into that  LOOK!

Display Number 3: Proud Petunias on the Wall Look.

Where else but in the Mediterranean  would you find displays of petunias in such a rustic setting as this? This snapshot is one of my favourites - taken in the town of Valdemossa, these were on the wall outside a souvenir shop in a quaint narrow street. It was along this street that we had the best hot chocolate - thick and heavenly sweet - so much appreciated on that chilly spring day. Another snapshot that brings back fond memories for me.

Display Number 4: Rambling  Roses  On Moss-covered Wall Look

This makes me think I've travelled back in time and I expect to see Don Quixote de la Mancha walk down the steps beside where the roses are clinging to the wall, saying to me, 'Welcome to my hacienda,  Senorita Rosie".

I hope these snapshots from my album bring some kind of nostalgic associations of the Mediterranean to you as well.

See more Today's Flowers at the TF Team's Blog. Click on the link at the bottom of the page. Have a great week, everyone! 

Macro Flowers - Parisian Chic

Here are some macro flowers from Paris and how I met these Parisian 'ladies'. 


A sweet French lady told me the name of this flower as she hobbled over to us with her tripod cane for support. She saw me admiring the flowers grown in a concrete bed as part of the street  landscape. Realising that we did not speak French, she nonetheless pointed to her fingers and then pointed to the purple blooms, saying 'digitale'. I could see from her expression that these were probably  her favourite plants and that she was proud to introduce those plants to us.That was my introduction to the beautiful Purple Foxglove (Digitalis Purpurea) you see in the photograph below:

I met these bright and breezy mademoiselles near the River Seine as we made our way, exploring the streets of Paris in the spring of 2010. They were a delightful shade of pink and were proud to be pink! I loved the mass effect in which they were planted and they made our morning walk to the Notre Dame that much more exhilarating.

This one we met in the garden at the East end of the Notre Dame Cathedral. She is what I consider the epitome of the chic Parisian. This rose has a porcelain complexion with a tinge of  rouge on her cheeks. Quelle beauté!

We visited these exotic irises many times at their home in the Iris Garden of Jardin des Plantes in Austerlitz, Paris. They had to entertain many botanists who came with notebooks to record what these girls had to say...there were photographers with their high-powered DSLRs taking macro shots of them all day long. These are the Bearded Irises I have heard so much about. Their six o'clock shadow must be a trial for them, poor girls.


        

So many 'belles fluers' to see, so little time...
Regretfully I say, 'au revoir, mes chéris'. Till we meet again.


See more macro flowers by clicking on the link at the bottom of this page.

Macro Flowers - Spanish Roses

A rose from any corner of the world would still be a familiar, beloved flower. But these photographs of roses which I captured in Spain brings back wonderful memories of a carefree, delightful springtime holiday. They may be simple, straightforward photography, but they are bits of cherished images I would add to my photography credits in my journey of discovering the camera as my travel-companion.






This is my first post in maiaT's meme, and I am excited to be part of the community of keen photographers.
To view this gallery of  Macro Flowers, please click on the button Macro Flowers at the bottom of this page.