The joys of spring

It wasn't so long ago that the fields were covered in a carpet of snow or else submerged under huge puddles of muddy water. There were no signs of life, the sun was in hibernation and winter seemed here to stay. My mood became correspondingly blacker as the months passed. In the last few weeks the sun has woken from its slumber and has gradually been working its magic - the landscape is transformed and my spirits are lifted.

Although everything is at least a month late, it was certainly worth waiting for - the wooded hillside is covered in a carpet of primroses the like of which I have never seen before; the blackthorn's beautiful white flowers adorn the bare branches in the hedgerow, resembling a Japanese painting; the daffodils on the village green turn their heads to catch the sun's rays; even the dandelions light up the verges in a riot of bright yellow. As the memory of the dismal winter slowly fades, it's at times like these that I really appreciate living in the country....

Consider the lily III

Further studies of my everlasting bunch of lilies.....They have proved to be one of the best value bunches of flowers ever, lasting well over a month but now it is finally time to say farewell! En route for the compost bin I made a few studies of their final death throes, their dessicated petals petrified into strange gnarled shapes, the last vestiges of their beauty starkly outlined against the snow.

Consider the lily II

More lily studies.....

The flowers are now well past their best but with their waxy petals now turning to a dry, papery texture and the fresh white fading to tones of off-white and parchment, their beauty still continues to exert a fascination. The stamens curl and dangle like jungle creepers and the orange pollen scatters and stains all it touches. There is a wildness and exuberance about the dying plants which contrasts with the stately waxen presence of the fresh lilies. It's as though they are finally letting themselves go, having one last fling....

Consider the lily

Reluctant (and too lazy!) to spend too much time out of doors at the moment, I am turning my attention to my immediate surroundings at home. I've had this bunch of lilies on the dresser since Christmas.  They seem to be everlasting and have only just now started to wilt and curl. Here are a few experiments in focus and composition, some shots partly in focus, some so out of focus as to form abstract patterns of shape and colour.  I will revisit them over the next few days to chart their process of decay....

Despite, or perhaps because of their association with death, I love the perfect waxen beauty of the lily. In Western Art the lily is often used as a symbol of purity and chastity and is associated with the Virgin Mary - in paintings of the Annunciation the Angel Gabriel is often depicted as offering a white lily to the Madonna. The lily is traditionally used at funerals as it represents the restored innocence of the soul at death - a symbol of resurrection and rebirth.