For my mum

Thinking a lot about my mum at the moment, it being almost exactly a year since she died.  How she disliked having vases of dishevelled flowers around the house.  At the first sign of age she's say, "I think it's time they went," - that wonderful non-specific 'went' - and they'd be swept away to the compost heap or similar.  She liked things to be in order, did my mum.

Well, she was right about a lot, and perhaps right about this, but I do have a sneaking love of flowers as they get old, particularly the ever gracious and graceful tulip.  This one had gone papery on its petals and mushy on its stalk end and had been put outside for disposal before it was snatched back in to have its portrait taken.  I didn't pull it apart, this is as it fell.

There you are, Mum, you never believed it of flowers or people, but old really can be lovely.  As you were.

Enjoy your evenings, folks  xx