Friday, February 11, 2011

Blogger's Block

I've been suffering through a long period of complete inability to post anything at all on my blog.  I could blame the heat, lack of inspiration, the pressure of beginning of the year workload, or I could be honest and just admit that I've been feeling down and dull and unable to see anything interesting around me.

I subscribe to several newsletters which have recently commented on this subject, so it seems I'm not the only sufferer.  The main piece of advice they advocate is just to start writing something / anything about any subject, no matter how small and to refrain from too much analysis or judgment.  I thought long and hard about this and realised that the one activity I've kept up with is watering the garden and picking my roses.  The reason for this is that we've been experiencing incredibly hot, humid weather, particularly in the City Bowl where I live and you either water or your plants die.  Gardening in this winter rainfall area is particularly demanding in summer - the mountains seems to radiate heat out over the city and the temperature doesn't always drop much at night.  When the sun isn't burning the roses, the wind denudes them of petals and after that the bugs complete the destruction.

Despite all these problems I realised anew how rewarding roses are and how there's nothing more enjoyable than picking a fragrant bunch for the house.





The Just Joey rose in the picture was my darling father's favourite rose and everytime I bury my nose in its petals I'm reminded of the joy he experienced from his and my mother's fairly large collection of potted roses.  He didn't have as much time as he deserved to enjoy his roses (and his dahlias) in his golden retirement years but I think of both my parents when I potter around the rose shrubs.




The other rose is my favourite Abraham Darby which I thinks rivals any other variety for its sublime fragrance.  It's the only one of my English Roses which has flourished in the city bowl area, although I believe that new hardier varieties of the English Roses have been grown specifically for the harsher South African climate.  Maybe it's time to try some others again. I find the closely packed cup of petals and the delicate colour changes during the maturing process, just too beguiling to resist.




I'm drawn mostly to the  peachy-pink and yellow colours but it has to be said that the yellow roses attract the most stubborn and  annoying black and white spotted beetles which can devour and destroy a bud in short order.  I don't like to use non-organic sprays and unfortunately the organic ones are ineffective so I'm reduced to picking these little wretches off by hand.  I've always been squeamish about doing this but a little bit of healthy annoyance at the insect destruction has hardened my resolve.




And there we have it - at last a new post to break the dry spell, perhaps more personal that I'm using to sharing, but I'm glad to be on the return trail at last!

5 comments:

rachel said... [Reply to comment]

And it's good to see you back! I'd been wondering where you were.... Hopefully you'll get back in the groove quickly now that you've made a start.

Your roses are beautiful, and much lovelier than some grown in their so-called ideal climate!

Karen said... [Reply to comment]

I, too, struggle each and every day to post on my blog. I follow your newsletters suggestion and just throw something up and not try for perfection.

Your roses are lovely and makes me long for spring to come here to North Carolina. We have had the absolute worse winter in many, many decades

Pretty Things said... [Reply to comment]

When I struggle with a blog topic (which happens a lot because I've tasked myself with blogging every day), I start aimlessly surfing the internet, typing in random key words that pop into my head. Inevitably, I'll hit upon something that will spark an idea, and I'll stick that in my "ideas" notebook for when I'm stuck later.

annie hoff said... [Reply to comment]

Hello Val
Thank you for your commenst on my blog. Our whole house has many small and some large jobs that still need to be finished off!
Your photos are lovely. I particularly love the sea and mountain landscapes. And those beautiful roses too. Blogging can be hard at times and difficult to find motivation or subject matter! Maybe Karen is right? 'Just throw something up and not try for perfection' Easier said than done though!

Ami said... [Reply to comment]

The roses are gorgeous.
I can almost smell them.

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