Friday, April 1, 2011

green


                                              April is the cruelest month, breeding
                                              Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
                                              Memory and desire, stirring
                                              Dull roots with spring rain.
                                                                            T.S. Eliot from The Wasteland

those crocuses from a couple days ago?
covered with snow.

I am reading The Jewel in the Crown, the first novel in Paul Scott's Raj Quartet, which takes place in Mayapore, India in the final years of British imperial dominion. A snippet of his description of a luxurious garden filled with jasmine, bougainvillea, lilies, tamarind, banyan, light and shadows:

"The range of green is extraordinary, palest lime, bitter emerald, mid-tones, neutral tints. The textures of the leaves are many and varied, they communicate themselves through sight to imaginary touch, exciting the finger-tips: leaves coming into the tenderest flesh, superbly in their prime, crisping to old age."

I'd like to drive around the country taking picture of all the shades and textures of green. Look at the difference between Bluffton, South Carolina:
                                            
and Yountville, California:

                                                                                                                                    

3 comments:

  1. ...'bitter emerald...' how i love a way with words! I'll have to check out the books!

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  2. Gorgeous photos!

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  3. That's a HUGE difference! But then I guess it is a HUGE country!! In Britain there is a bit of difference between the north and the south but no where near as much as those photos. I wonder if you live in California, you get bored of all those flowers? I think one of the lovely things about winter is that I appreciate summer all the more!

    Sarahx

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