With the warm, sunny weather we're having, our annual iris bloom is pretty nice. And with my Sony camera, I'm enjoying taking macro (close-up) shots of the flowers. As usual, you can enlarge them by clicking or tapping on them to see more details.
There's not a lot to write about right now. The situation where you are — the coronavirus pandemic — is problably the same as where we are. We are still "confined" — "locked down."
France had fewer deaths from COVID-19, and fewer people put into réanimation (intensive care) yesterday than the day before, and fewer the day before yesterday than the day before that.
Am I the only person who feels as if he himself or she herself has some kind of strange disease — even though I know don't. I am experiencing springtime pollen allergy symptoms, but I've had those for the past 30 years. In my case, the symptoms were much worse in the U.S. than they are in France.
Here in the Saint-Aignan area, I can actually enjoy being outdoors and working in the yard and garden in springtime. That was something I couldn't do in California, once the allergies became really severe in the early 1990s. Milder allergy symptoms here were a prime factor in my decision to come live in France in 2003.
Your irises are lovely. I think all the German irises are quite special but I only have a yellow one. My allergies have become much less than when I was younger but this is probably the worst time of year along with ragweed season in the fall. These are strange times. I'm glad to hear France seems to be flattening the curve.
ReplyDeleteWe woke up to quite a bit of snow on the ground today!
DeleteOh, so you also live in Maine:-)
DeleteI love iris which are sometime called "flags" here in the deep south. They make me think of CHM who we are all missing. I hope he is doing well with his rehab. I wonder what our new normal will be in these pandemic days. My nephew who knows about vaccines thinks there will be a vaccine early in 2021. I hope everyone gets that shot.
ReplyDeleteMy first thought was also of CHM and his love of irises.
DeleteFlag Iris was the only term I knew growing up in Texas. When people talked about "bearded Iris" I had no idea what they meant.
DeleteGreat photos of irises. They're such beautiful flowers. It will be awhile before they'll be blooming here in Maine. Right now the daffodils are just starting to open; and it snowed last night.
ReplyDeleteIt's like summer here today. I'm wearing shorts and a T-shirt. Weird.
DeleteI wrote a comment much earlier but it didn't stick! What else is new? It said that Iris is, by far, my favorite flower, as much for the delicate smell, as for the interesting construction ot the flower itself.
ReplyDeleteRehab has begun slowly, but I hope I can see the light at the end of the tunnel,
Bon courage, Charles-Henry.
DeleteI too love irises, thanks for the beautiful photos.
ReplyDeleteChm, if you need help getting through that tunnel, let us know. We will all push!
Beautiful photo--who doesn't love an especially lovely iris, eh?
ReplyDeleteYeah, weird feeling in the background of everything... not so much like feeling sick, myself, but like we're in a science fiction movie about the end of the world (mostly I get that feeling when the new updates are on TV).
Ken thanks for posting these wonderful pictures of your irises. Also very much enjoyed the pics of your flowering cherry yesterday too! We are now (by law I think) required to wear a mask out in public, as of today. Stores can deny you entry if you are not wearing mask and gloves. Of course, pretty much everyone was wearing them before today, anyway.
ReplyDeleteI hear ya on the "strange disease" thing. Sore throat, runny nose, cough, warm forehead -- and just as I'm convinced I have That Thing and am about to call for an ambulance, I remember that it's been a horrific pollen season, that every flowering tree for miles around is shaking its booty. Oy.
ReplyDeleteSometimes, sitting in the car for a bit, with its good cabin filter, helps. As does the rain we had yesterday.
On iris "flags", there's also a Blue Flag Iris, but I think it's more like a Siberian iris (shorter stem, smaller flower) than the big bearded ones.