Friday flowers

/ Su Leslie
img_7179 Image: Su Leslie 2020

It hasn’t been a great week, one way or another.

I’ve broken a tooth; inflicted a ridiculously painful-for-its-size cut on my finger tip; been for a mammogram (routine but always stressful); had a massive wasps’ nest removed from the ceiling cavity directly above where I sleep, and wasted far too much time trying to buy a tripod in camera shops that seem to employ the sort of men (where are the women in camera shops?) who should only exist in fiction (I’m thinking here of  “Hi-honey-I’m-home” 1950s sitcoms).

Worst of all; I feel bad for feeling bad. Apart from the broken tooth — and the possibilities inherent in the mammogram — it’s all pretty minor stuff. In a world of people doing it really tough right now, I’m not even on the scale.

That didn’t stop me buying flowers to cheer myself up though.

On the plus side, I bought them from a small, local florist who had only been in business a few months before Covid 19.

On the minus side, they’re out of season cut flowers with a carbon footprint I don’t even want to think about.

On the plus side, photographing them has provided me with shots for #fridayflowers.

On the minus, I’ve learned that flowers which look great in a vase don’t necessarily photograph well.

Image: Su Leslie 2020
Image: Su Leslie 2020
Image: Su Leslie 2020
On the plus side, I’m going to shut up now, pour myself a glass of wine, and try not to think of reasons to get stressed about that.

68 thoughts on “Friday flowers”

  1. Oh poor you. Yes, you are entitled to feel sorry for yourself. But only a bit. Here in the UK you wouldn’t have had the opportunity to be patronised in a camera shop. Not one is open. Buying flowers is only possible in a supermarket. So you know what those are like (or maybe not. In the UK, supermarket flowers are not great).

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    • I get flowers delivered from Freddie’s Flowers, at a price….but they are always really fresh, last well and give me loads of phoqto opportunities fresh and decayed!!

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      • Your flower photography is really good Sue; but you know I think that!
        I struggle knowing what flowers will photograph well, and I suspect none of my vases is really the right size for any bunch of flowers I ever buy.
        A whole new area of photography to learn!

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    • Our supermarkets sell flowers too — not great! The great “re-opening” here was about a week ago and we are all still getting used to the new ways. Very tough on small businesses, but better than being closed.

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  2. Oh, Su, I’m so sorry. We all have weeks like this when every little thing seems to go wrong. All (or most of them) minor, but cumulatively, they just seem to build up. And I know what it is to feel that you don’t have a right to feel this bad because of x,y,z….., and particularly now with COVID 19. But all of this has happened in your personal world, just as NZ has opened up, and you surely had a hope (as we all do) that life would return to gloriously normal. While we are in lock down we seem to remember all the wonderful things in the world that we took for granted, and seem to forget about the minor trials and tribulations of life. And speaking as someone who has always had extremely dry skin that constantly splits open on my hands and fingers, I can absolutely say that even a small cut on one’s finger is enormously painful because you are reminded of it (with pain) simply every time you use your hands. Which also means it takes a long time to heal. On the plus side, your post made me chuckle with the recognition of the everyday life that I miss, so that should be worth something. 😊

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    • Thank you Hannah. I do feel a bit out of practice in dealing with the pre-Covid world of medical appointments and shopping.

      I also have really dry skin, and all the extra hand sanitizer I’ve had to use this week hasn’t helped!

      Wishing you a peaceful weekend.

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      • I find I’m somewhat impatient and snappy with some of the people I see while going down to pick up my boxed dinner. (I live in a large, tall, retirement building.) We wear masks, and stay six feet apart which probably doesn’t help the socialization. But after 67 days of us all staying in our apartments I, too, find that I am out of practice with the niceties when things don’t go smoothly. Stay well and safe, Su.

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  7. I hate how we feel guilty for complaining when compare our problems to bigger/rest of the world ones. But I’m learning, it’s okay. I’m certainly more forgiving and understanding towards others when it comes to this, why not extend that love to yourself?

    Hope your tooth gets fixed soon, the flowers are lovely, maybe don’t think too much about footprints or mammograms or any other body part, just take a easy. Hugs from Thailand. xo

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  9. Hope you can get your tooth fixed soon, Su. On the plus side, the dentist will be happy for your business after being limited to emergency appointments for so long.
    I used to think I was the only one who worried about the carbon cost of cut flowers. On the plus side, it is a great business opportunity for florists to establish supply relationships with local growers.
    Take care, Su. A nice wine sounds just the ticket.

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  13. i’m so sorry for all of that, it does seem to come in waves, doesn’t it? good news is that a new week is almost here and lots of good things will happen to balance it out, beginning with the flowers

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  14. Oh, Su….I wondered where you were these past few days. Sorry about all the ‘stuff.’ It’s only 7:30 am here, but what the heck, toasting you with a cup of coffee. I would do wine, but 7:30 am……

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  16. It seems to me that the pluses and the minuses cancel each other out. But then again a broken tooth is a major minus. But then again your love of life as shown in the love for flowers is a major plus. Take care and be cheerful, Su!

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  20. Pingback: Friday Flowers: Water on Rose – Robert's Snap Spot

    • ☹️ we made the decision to look at everything we buy and see if it’s possible to support small and local businesses. I know lots of people are doing that; I hope it’s not just a fad that disappears because we all go back to looking for the cheapest and easiest — whatever the true cost.

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  22. Good news: you had some wine after your whine. 🙂 I completely understand that “I want to complain but I really don’t have it that bad but I feel miserable” feeling. 🙂 I’ve been feeling that way a bit and although I haven’t had wine yet (I think that would be perfect tonight), I did walk three early mornings in a row at the Riparian Preserve, which preserved my sanity as well as put me in a MUCH better mood. My photo tomorrow may help you feel happy and in the meantime, I hope you’re getting a wonderful night’s sleep…scratch that! I hope you had a wonderful night’s sleep because checking my world clock, I see it’s almost noon on Saturday there. 🙂

    janet

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  23. I am so sorry to hear this Su. The flowers do look much better lying down in your fab photos.
    Our only camera shop in Lancaster has a woman staff member and she is great. But previously I always used another camera shop that closed due to retirement a couple of years ago – they were a great family business and their claim to fame was being the oldest continous photography shop in the world. They were always good to visit.
    But to be honest I am not sure it is just a sexist thing – many ‘techy’ businesses are equally unfriendly to men. Camera shops, hi-fi shops, musical instrument shops; often seem to be very cliquey and will patronise anyone. I am reminded of the hi-fi shop sketch from ‘Not The Nine O’clock News’…..
    Really hope the wine helped! X

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    • Thanks Darren; the wine definitely helped.

      I suspect you may be right about techy businesses. When I told my son — who works as a photographer — he said he often feels patronised in camera shops too, or alternately feels that he’s being offered inclusion if he buys into using the jargon and obsessing about every little feature of the products.

      Given how independent businesses are struggling against huge online retailers, it is amazing that they don’t invest a little more in sales training for staff.

      I really wanted to buy from a local business. I haven’t.

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      • I guess their primary interest is financial. Any honest camera sales person would say that the average person can excellent results with a lower spec camera or even a pre-owned one a couple of iterations old. New kit with all the new features will not make someone a better photographer but it will give the sales person a bigger profit.
        Likewise – selling a half deaf old bugger like me a high-end hifi is pointless but lucrative!
        Guitar shops are a special kind of hell. Staff are there primarily to show off their own skills I reckon.
        My new camera is a refurbed second-hand one which was a third the price of the new model that replaced it despite being only two years old. There is no difference in performance as it has the same sensor. I bought it online after reading a magazine article.

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        • Agreed; especially about music shops. When the boy-child was younger and in bands, one practiced in a room behind a music shop. I used to drop him off and then have time to kill. It was both fascinating to watch the egos at work in the shop.
          The weird thing about my tripod was that the one he was intent on selling me was less expensive than the one I’d decided on. I would have considered it, given a chance to at least fiddle with the knobs a bit.
          I suspect that the commission on “his” brand was higher than on the one I’d researched. He lost the sale because I won’t be railroaded.

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  26. I’m so sorry to hear about your bad week, Su! Did you already get your tooth fixed? And that wasps’ nest sounds horrendous! And I wanted to empathize that you’re absolutely entitled to feel sorry for yourself and that shouldn’t compare your worries to others’ because that ‘s nonsense – the pain you feel is naturally the worst and the same is true for worries no matter how minor you think they might be. The flowers look lovely and since you don’t indulge often in this carbon-print luxury it’s absolutely okay to be nice to yourself and cheer you up. 😊 I’ve been having a pretty crappy week and day yesterday myself – and cheer myself up with a carbohydrates overdose. 😉 Wishing you a much better weekend and hope you’ll feel better soon! Love! 💕💕

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    • Thank you so much my dear friend. The tooth repair was very quick and painless (because I accepted anaesthetic), and the wasp nest has been removed.
      I collected my new tripod a couple of days ago and am getting the spare room organised as a studio. There are good things to look forward to, but I still feel out of sorts.
      I am sorry you’ve had a bad week too, and I understand carb-comfort! I hope that you have a good weekend and that life brings more joy and positivity to you 💕💕

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  27. I hope your week improved out-of-sight Su.
    I think many of us feel a bit the same. I don’t know how to behave in public anymore, do I keep my distance, sanitise, log in/log out? Too many decisions to make, and not everyone following the rules so I just stay away as much as possible. It’s all very unsettling. Maybe some of us just take a bit longer to adjust. 😉

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    • Thank you Wendy. I am feeling a bit more positive this week, but still awkward when I’m out. It is definitely easier when others are obviously making the same effort to maintain distance — mainly women my age and older I’ve noticed (although that may also reflect where I’ve been hanging out).

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  28. Sorry you are feeling bad about feeling bad.
    I gave this post a like anyway because you know how to cope, when the the going gets tough. You look around at all the ones worse off.
    Also those beautiful photos deserve a like.

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  29. Pingback: Friday Flowers: Colorful Hydrangeas – Robert's Snap Spot

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