Author: Flower Roberts

The Floors of Italy

| Flower Roberts

Every surface seemed to be covered in art, the ceilings, the walls, the doors and even the floors.
Sometimes it was difficult to get a photo without a person in it. I find now that the presence of people adds perspective and scale.
There is method in my chaos. I am enjoying this return trip via photographs. I can follow my thought patterns, as I examine what I chose to take pictures of.
It is comical how I seemed to play seek-and- find in the Uffizi for plants, animals, flowers and fruits in the periphery of huge paintings. There are stories. I even got fixated on taking photos of ancient sandals.
There is so much more to come. Thinking of these posts has made me laugh for the first time in days.
Stay tuned.

Yes, we were that high. ZOOM IN. We got in the wrong line and climbed over 400 steps to get to the top with the horses.  Check post link at end for story.
METADATA-START

This is a tomb in St. Peter’s with the floor designed to feature purple marble tomb which has a little lamb on the top holding a flag. I wish I had taken more photos of its details.

FLOW on the floors

https://seizuremama.wordpress.com/2018/02/14/in-the-wrong-line/

Background Details of Famous Masterpieces

| Flower Roberts

I learned that the master painters were in charge of painting the main subjects in paintings.
Then the apprentices would come behind to paint the backgrounds. It was obvious that a lot of effort was put into the small details in the periphery.
Of course this tidbit of information got me side-tracted…literally. I made it a point to search the margins for interesting details an apprentice might add to get noticed by his master.
I tried to photograph the whole painting and then the tiny details. Sometimes rude tourist were impatient with my careful attention to detail. Imagine such rudeness!

Whole painting below.
Baby Jesus on the ground.
Whole painting above.

Needless to say, I got carried away.

Another detail that got me side-lined was all the paintings in which baby Jesus is lying on the ground surrounded by unattentive adults.

We Americans like to keep our baby Jesus in Mary’s arms or the manger.

But what can you expect from a country that parks their babies in a stroller outside a store and goes inside to shop alone?

FLOW

The Flowers of Italy

| Flower Roberts

Choosing which flowers to share was difficult.
Italy has a passion for plants. They are on porches, on walls and in pots everywhere.

I loved this about Italy. They love their plants.

METADATA-START
METADATA-START
Not sure these were real on balcony in Venice
Boboli Gardens

Sometimes things were so beautiful that I would have to pause and cry because I was so grateful to be in Italy with my family.

I needed to put these two dogs in a post.

FLOWER

The Doors of Italy

| Flower Roberts

One of my readers commented about my Passion Vine flower, Blue Crown, reminding me of Italy. I did not blog much back in 2015. I will share photos from that trip while I am trapped inside, prior to surgery.

Blue Crown Passion vine

Here is the flower that started my passion for Passion Vines. This vine had grown to cover the fence of our lodgings in Volterra.

Passion fruit



The rest of the post will be of doors in Italy. These could be in Volterra, Rome, Florence Venice or Verona.


I had two cameras to work with and took thousands of photos of plants, people, art, food, and doors.

At the Vatican.

The doors were so ornate and huge that I got carried away taking photos of them. Everything seemed to have more color and detail than I am used to. My eyes stayed wide open the whole time.

FLOW tens years ago, on the go.

Taking a Walker to Visit my Passion Vine

| Flower Roberts

This plant is a combination of everything I love.

Blue Crown Passion Vine


Twining vine, purple, complex flowers and lovely memories of Italy.


Vines fascinate me in how they find ways to use other structures for support.
Purple is the ultimate regal color.
This flower is more than just a pretty face with stamen that move according to the weather.


This flower brings back memories of a small, walled-town in Tuscany, Volterra.

I hobbled to the end of the deck just to see these magnificent blooms. Neither leg is functional now. I must use this walker for support.

Extra legs


Hopefully the surgery will get me moving again.

FLOWER

The Perfect Pebble Patio

| Flower Roberts

My vision has come to fruition in one afternoon.
Rose removed the cardboard that killed the weeds before the crew from Ncline Landscaping arrived.


Then a crew came and put in a cut-stone perimeter, geocloth and colored pebbles.


This is exactly my vision. I am so pleased.


FLOW

The Church Rose

| Flower Roberts

This lovely Iceberg rose belongs in the church courtyard. It had to be removed to make room for a columbarium.

Iceberg rose

Decades ago we designed the space to be a meditation garden with all white flowers.
It has a fountain in the middle and benches to sit on.

When death entered the space, the rose and I left.


The rose is still with me, waiting for a parishioner to fetch it.

FLOW

Nature Comes to Me

| Flower Roberts

I came very close to falling last night. We have steps everywhere outside. I needed to water some pots. I started down some steps at the spigot, I stumbled in slow motion. My bionic knee pogo-sticked me into the air. It was a miracle.
I have promised myself to stay on level ground until my surgery later this month.
I slithered out the front door to my chair. I sat quietly as hummingbirds zoomed across in front of me.
They love the Firecracker Vine. Males and females buzzed by my head. I enjoy the sound of their wings and the quick chirps they make.

Firecracker Vine / Ipomea lobata/ Spanish flag vine

Then not one, but two, Pileated Woodpeckers landed in a tree close-by. These two giants seemed to be conversing face-to-face on the trunk.

Two Pileated Woodpeckers

I am so grateful for these lovely visitors right outside my door. They are all the company I need.

FLOW with friends

Sedums Are Not Needy

| Flower Roberts

It is August in the south. That means that most plants constantly scream for water. Even though we have had many rains here, it is not enough for the pots. I cannot ignore a wilting plant. It would be like ignoring the cries of a hungry baby.

There is a lot of screaming going from my potted plants now. I will be sharing the ones that are not needy in this post. That would be the sedums. They grow without fuss and bloom when all other plants are closing down.

One of my favorites is Burrow’s Tail/ Sedum morganianum. It has a pleasing gray-blue color that contrasts beautifully with terra cotta or hypertufa pots.

I also appreciate the lack of neediness of herbs in August. They also thrive in dry heat. I group these together in full sun.

Why wilt yourself outside in August, when you can have plants that thrive in sun and heat without your constant attention?

I am getting too old for needy…you know?

FLOW