One hundred years is a long time for a rose garden and thinking of all the challenges of war and weather, this is remarkable. By coincidence I happen to be in the park during the official commemorative celebration. Lucky me, a grand occasion to smell the roses, again.

Everyone is engrossed in admiring the sublime colorful roses, standing still and taking in all the beauty while using smartphones for taking pictures. But, what happens when a peacock walks into the rose garden? All heads turn! First he gives his forceful call and waits for the response. Immediate attention. He knows. People always fall for him.

The peacock performs. He decides how long the tail will be held up and how much time people can spend on admiring his personal grandeur. When taking photos of the tail he poses, until .. he has enough of it and with long steps moves on. He is master of his spectacle.

As the peacock moves on – so do the people. Seeing this individual bird making contact and conduct a show for another species is striking. A public park with plenty of daily admirers must be the inspiration for his bold solo act. It falls under performing arts, this time complementing the special celebration of the rose garden, we agree.

This month with on and off rain and sun makes for a varied display of rose colors and green leaves, dry or humid, dull or bright. Nevertheless, in this dry Mediterranean climate roses wither quickly. For seeing fresh flowers one needs to take the time and return to the spot.

Mostly I prefer a ray of sunlight shining on a subject but on the day when photography friend Faty (Fatima) joins me to visit the rose garden it begins to rain. Wearing a raincoat, she starts taking photos right away while I, raincoatless, wait under the generous green branches of trees until the rain stops. Raindrops on rose petals, that’s different.

All Photos Copyright © 2019-2023 August Timmermans – All Rights Reserved