Photographs are memories made physical and lasting. These five photos remind me of two of the hottest days of last summer. Not in late July or Mid-August as might be expected, but 31st May and 20 June.
Ox-Eye daisies growing on an embankment between road and rail
Dog rose in a cow meadow
Yellow Flag in swathes alongside a river on a grazed common
Greater Bindweed scrambling over an overgrown hedge alongside an old rail-track-turned-walkers’ path
Scabious proud beside an arable field
I remember 20th June for the several discoveries I made. Despite I’d walked this route many times, I found a looped path that took me alongside the Wensum as it enters Norwich, the river a mass of yellow water lilies budding and rising and opening. Not far beyond that I stumbled upon a meadow turned purple and pink with orchids and ragged robin. Then into Costessey I went in search of the as-yet unexcavated Costessey Henge, and the confluence of the tivers Tud and Wensum, and found both. Amazing, this is the village where I grew up, yet I’d never explored here.
31st May I remember for having arrived at the village of (Upper) Tasburgh to find the residents abuzz with news of a recent Norfolk Archaeological dig, an attempt to pin a definitive date on Tasburgh ‘fort’; is it Dark Ages, Roman, or Iron Age Iceni? The results weren’t yet in but the word on the ground was ‘definitely Iron Age’. Then, in taking a short-cut, I came upon al triangular patch of fen-land busy with damselflies in all varieties and colours.
Though in themselves these five flower photos don’t relate to the discoveries, for me they encapsulate my memories of those two hot days.
crispina kemp 
I love that –photographs are memories made physical– I’ve always used the phrase ‘life of the image’ because while the picture is a somewhat static physical reminder..the back story we remember when we see the image is alive. Great lighting contrast and detail on that daisy image!! The dog rose looks like a lovely delicate thing.
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I thank you. I, too, like that daisy. It took ten shots to get that one, the day being somewhat breezy, complicated by traffic, and when a train went over the exceedingly nearby bridge the entire ground trembled (or was that just me?). But the day being one of vivid blue sky, the sun did an excellent job of lighting the shot! But it is true that photos hold memories beyond what is actually in that shot.
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What wonderful mementos of two beautiful days, made even more interesting by fun discoveries. It’s especially exciting when you discover something new in a place you thought you knew so well.
Speaking of hot days, it got up to 80F here yesterday, which is normal “warm summer” temperature here. My jade is blooming! I can’t figure out how to post a picture here, but here’s a link to where I posted it on Facebook. It gives you an idea of how small my balcony “garden” is — the picture shows half of it. 😦
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How brilliant, Joy. And you might call it small, but it’s a giant compared with my jade plant. Though in fairness, I did only acquire it (as a rooted cutting) just before Christmas. It’s doing ok. But in UK we can’t keep these plants outside. But what temperature? Though I don’t like the heat, I’m envious. This week the forecast is mostly for sub-zero temperatures. (that’s -0 degree Centigrade; if I remember my conversions, that’ll be somewhere below 38F) I keep telling myself that summer will return . . . as my fingers turn blue in tapping the keys. But at least with the weather keeping me in I’m spending full days on the writing. Most days 8 to 5; shopping days 10 to 5. Oh the discipline of this woman.
And thank’s for the link. It was good to see a photo of you. Though I am notoriously shy of the camera, after year or so of back-and-forth comments, it’s good to know what the other person looks like. I do intend to post a photo of me, before I get to publish the e-book.
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I can only ever remember than 32F = freezing = 0C, but that’s as far as I get . I looked it up: 80F = 27C. So, nice warm day, but not too hot. Unusually warm for January in California, although I think we’ll have to stop using the term “unusual” to refer to formerly unseasonal weather these days. My friends’ kids had a homemade lemonade and cookie stand near the park yesterday (to raise money for charity), where huge bunches of kids were playing soccer and various other games. It really felt like a summer day.
The jade tree is definitely large, it’s the balcony that’s small. This jade plant is a cutting of a cutting of a cutting of my dear Grandfather’s massive jade plant from back in the 1980s. I’m sentimental that way: kept desperately salvaging a piece of the plant that reminded me of him every time I killed the main plant. This particular one was “born” around 2003, and grew pretty slowly at my old house, although it did grow enough to be put in this big pot. Then I moved here in 2011 and it increased by a good 50% in the first two years and started flowering like this. I think it’s only slowed down because I haven’t repotted it.
Good luck with your disciplined work. Speaking of, I should get to that myself!
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Ah-ha, the conversion revolves around 32 degrees, not 28. See, I tell you, useless. Though I’ve not had to do it since leaving school, and that was long, long ago!
Still, 27 C, That’s about the temperature I start passing out. I just have to admit it, I’m not built for hot weather. Not even for warm.
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I start getting groggy above 85F and am downright useless at 90F (32C), so I know what you mean!
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My GP tells me I have a slow heart that’s unable to pump the heat away quick enough (I also have low-ish blood pressure). So it does t the next best thing. Makes me faint. Laying on the ground, the heat dissipates. Not good when out walking! While it’s good to know I’m not alone in this, I don’t wish it on anyone. 🙂
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That doesn’t sound like fun at all. I don’t think I have a slow heart, and my blood pressure is normal. For me, I just get very tired and groggy when it’s hot (more like a slow brain than a slow heart), but so far I’ve only fainted when it’s combined with dehydration and/or low blood sugar.
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Well, it might just be similarity of symptoms
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