Growing old gracefully

One rose from a bunch given to me by kind friends seven weeks ago. I expect they would be upset to know that they’d been sold a duff* lot which never opened but I hope they would be pleased at how much I have enjoyed watching the buds gradually desiccate over the weeks. The colours have become more muted and the veins of the petals have started to stand out.
 
I should have taken this in better light at a lower ISO but my life doesn’t allow for that just at the moment. Nor for comments on your blips - sorry.

Today was the first day of the 'Safeguarding training for taxi drivers' which I have been preparing and which I am working on as the language support person. Two good groups of trainees, all of whom knew a lot more than they feared and all of whom passed the assessment.

 
*I have discovered this evening that ‘duff’ (Brit informal. ‘bad or useless, as by not working out or operating correctly’) is a minority word. Is/was it used in your part of the world? Is it outmoded? Suggestions for synonyms welcome.

Edit - from the first five comments it seems I'm wrong. That's a relief.