It is proving to be a miserable Spring here. Too cold to work in the garden for long and so windy that the blossoms which so recently promised so much, are struggling to remain on the trees. The lawn is spread with prematurely browning Kowhai flowers and I fear for the Tui who should be feasting on them. And although it’s getting dark later in the evenings, I’m not at all tempted to go out into the blustery twilight we are experiencing night after night.
So much for the season of rebirth and renewal.
My melancholy; my general grumpiness and sense of being somehow cheated, actually surprises me. Once upon a time — when I had a career and ambitions of corporate greatness — my life was lived so entirely in the artificial world of offices, bars and cafes that I hardly noticed the passing of the seasons. Now — when I can no longer answer the question “what do you do” according to the employment-related expectations of those who ask such a question — I am constantly and acutely aware of the natural world.
Of all the photos I have taken recently, this one captures the discontinuity and perplexity in my world right now. The flowers look staged, as though the branch has been chopped from the tree and taken indoors. It looks like an imitation of nature, re-created in the studio, and rendered in black and white for artistic emphasis.
But the shot was taken in a local park; real flowers on a real tree.
It’s just that, like our Spring, it really doesn’t seem that way.
This week the theme of Sally D’s Mobile Photography Challenge is black and white.
Hm. Sorry to hear you are suffering such gloominess when things should be hopeful. It will change. It’s one thing one can usually bank on with weather in the world’s extremities. Lovely, if disturbing photo.
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Thanks Tish. I do feel a bit ungrateful for feeling so grumpy. Auckland has such mild weather, and we are incredibly fortunate compared to many places which suffer terribly from extremes. When we lived in the UK, we noticed after a while that we got SADD, and used to plan trips home for January and February. I’m wondering if, after such a long gloomy winter, that I’ve got a bit of the same now. A trip to Sydney next week was meant to be an antidote, but I’ve just checked the weather there — hot and rainy. Oh well 🙂 Thanks for your thoughts.
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Worth pursuing the SADD angle – you could get some anti-sadd light bulbs – wouldn’t hurt.
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hasn’t been too good here either…
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Are you getting the high winds too? We haven’t had much rain, and the wind is stripping the soil of moisture. I have begun to appreciate what people mean when they talk about a dustbowl. It would be devastating after a while.
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Sounds like you are getting the same kind of spring we had in Rhode Island this year. Your photo is still very beautiful.
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Thanks Mary
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It is a beautiful and very haunting shot. It is hard to enjoy spring when the weather makes it so hard for us.
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Good shot – especially with the black counter weight on the right hand side of the shot. Summer is coming.
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Thanks! The sky is blue now, but the wind is relentless.
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You let your deep thoughts loose on this windy day,they are effortless travelling like the dead leaves by the wind,and although they are melancholy-tinted,they flow pleasantly.So beautiful thie light on the apple blossom and your thoughts … Why I so much loved it all?Enjoy a splendid,windless day,dear friend Su 🙂 xxx
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Thank you so much for your kindness and wisdom Doda. I wish you a very happy weekend. xx
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Thank you Su!Please overlook my typo …effortless(ly) … 🙂 xxx
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Of course! xxx
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🙂 🙂
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Question is whether the flower is half blooming – and which half? Main thing is it’s beautiful form and your ability to catch it.
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Thanks; the flower was definitely blooming!
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Wow, your second paragraph seemed like it was talking about me. It was almost creepy! I hope your spring improves for you either in reality or at least perception. 🙂
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Thanks Amanda. Just talking about how I feel has helped. And it’s just as well, as the rain has now arrived too!
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Oh wow, now it’s crying…..
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So often your words resonate with me – they reflect my own thoughts.
“Once upon a time — when I had a career and ambitions of corporate greatness — my life was lived so entirely in the artificial world of offices, bars and cafes that I hardly noticed the passing of the seasons. Now — when I can no longer answer the question “what do you do” according to the employment-related expectations of those who ask such a question — I am constantly and acutely aware of the natural world.” These words capture it so well.
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Thanks Joanne. I think it’s a common feeling, for women particularly. There is still so little recognition of the value of the unpaid work we do, and an emphasis on employment as defining us.
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It’s been over 4 years for me and I’m still having difficulty defining myself
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Hi Joanne. I’m not sure I ever fitted comfortably into any categories (recruitment agents always found me hard to place) and my life trajectory has moved so far from a career one, I doubt it will ever reconnect. I “got away with” being a mother for a whole, but now I’m having to redefine myself again.
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I think you just described my reality as well.
Unfortunately I’ve been defying definition for most of my life so attempting re-definition has proven to be challenging.
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Yes; I feel “conventional” options closing, but hope that I can enjoy the unconventional pathways 🙂
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Gorgeous photo, Su. Sorry about your seasonal blues. Here we are moving towards winter, my low season. Spring in New England is always wet and raw. And late. So I treasure every day of summer.
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Thanks Amy. I do feel a bit petulant complaining when so many of my friends are heading towards winter. Cheers, Su.
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You’re entitled. I complain during every season, except summer. And even then if it gets too humid!
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🙂 I definitely complain in summer; Auckland is very humid and I end up feeling like a damp dishrag.
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LOL!
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You’ve expressed your disheartenment with spring in an insightful way. The image is a true representation of your commentary. It shows a surreal interpretation of nature’s ability to affect our behavior. We swing in and out of exhilaration and moodiness. Happy Photo Challenge.
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Thank you so much Sally.
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Pingback: Sally’s Mobile Photography Challenge: Black and White (Direction of the Light) | Lens and Pens by Sally
Absolutely beautiful photo that unless I had not read your narrative, would have thought nothing other than beautiful!
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Thank you Angeline. It’s a balancing act; trying to create something that is visually appealing but still a vehicle for my thoughts. Cheers, Su
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