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Friday, 5 July 2019

Blowsy peonies, with a hidden secret


My daughter gave me a bunch of peonies on my birthday. I'm not sure I've ever had any before and I thought they were wonderful, both in their colouring - changing from deep pink buds to a nuanced white when the bloom was full out - and in their showy, blowsy, curly, unruly petals. They didn't last as long as some cut flowers do, soon dropping their petals once they reached full bloom, but boy, were they worth it. They gave me a lift every time I walked in and saw them.

The June theme in my online photo group was chaos. After trying numerous other shots: piles of old rope, pegs and paperclips among them, I settled on this because, although there is a kind of chaos in the way the petals furl, I also think it's rather beautiful.

(I noticed when I'd made the photo that you can see a little girl with her hair in a bun and her hand on her chin, just peeping out! Now I've seen her, I can't unsee her... Pareidolia strikes again. But still, that's quite sweet, I suppose.)

7 comments:

  1. There is clearly beauty in chaos, but sadly the little girl with the bun is hiding from me. They grow peonies in fields a couple of miles from here, though of course they cut them while they're still in bud so we never get to see what would be a grand show if they were left to flower.

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  2. A lovely pic but the girl escapes me too! ;-)

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  3. Nope, can't find her, but I love the soft folds. I think what a job it would be to paint those petals! That's me, practical today.

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  4. A gorgeous picture -- I'm not going to mess it up by looking for the little girl. (I once painted a picture of one of our dogs on the bed amidst rumpled sheets. Somehow, when it was done, the sheets took on the aspect of a menacing sheikh threatening the dog. As you say, can't unsee it.

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  5. Very pretty!

    I can't see the girl, but that's me.

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  6. Wow! The abstract quality in your photo is fantatic!

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  7. Nice one. I am a fan of peonies. Yes, their blooms don't last as long as some other flowers, but their beauty is worth it. I photographed a white lily with a similar abstract feeling a few weeks ago. Must go looking for it.

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