English Rose

A spell of unusually warm weather made everything in the U.K. bloom about three weeks early this spring. The bluebells had come and gone but we reveled in the roses, already in full bloom in sunny spots. Roses are a part of English history. Images of the Lancaster and York roses abound. A beautiful young woman with a specific kind of delicate beauty is often described as an English Rose. I found this particular English rose climbing up a sheltered wall in the Oxford Botanic Garden. Pale blossoms, pale wall, curving canes entwined with ivy---it speaks to me of ages past and delicacy and a sense of place. This is my English Rose.