pools and reflections

This is the right way up. When I came back from a walk with Simon around a lovely garden, I saw that my eyes and camera had been drawn to pools of blues and whites, above and below and around. This is a pool of blues and whites reflected in a literal pool or pond.

In fact, I was surprised to see so much blue in the photos. It's a not a colour we are seeing much of in the sky at the moment, and I think I must have subconsciouly wanted to capture some to bring home, as if to convince myself that it really is summertime.

I love hydrangeas (they remind me of many happy summers in Brittany) and much prefer the blues to the pinks. These look as though someone's painted them with watercolour paint then left them out in the rain to let it wash off.

The topsy-turviness of a tree-filled sky and clouds to walk on below has a certain appeal.   

And I wonder why isn't there a 'hydrangea blue' in the paint-box? It would be lovely to create little pools of soft, watery blues and play with them on thick white paper. Especially when it's a mostly grey July.

Comments

[Rachel L]

I love that soft, powdery blue of the hydrangeas. Beautiful photos, as always, Jane!

[Zoe]

I find that blue hydrangeas are most enjoyable on a grey flat day when they don't have to compete with the sky. One of my neighbours has one in the front garden, and when I walk home it's like the sky has floated down in big puffs nodding over the wall. Extraordinarly refreshing on a dark twilight day when you never really feel that you've woken up.

[Kutri]

If it's _any_ consolation to you, I can tell that July in Finland has also been rather grey. In a summer like this it's good that we have your beautiful photos with their cheerful (or romantic as today) colours to look at!

[Jean]

I love the Blue in the Hydrangeas, it is a real battle in my yard as both the soil and the water are alkaline, I keep promising myself that I will be more diligent next spring with the use of peatmoss and vinegar to help acidify the soil, alas the distraction of planting some new flowers and bed preparation steal my attention away, also the battle with the ever present crabgrass. Some day though.

[cindy k]

love them all, especially the reflections.

[Gina]

Beautiful inspirational photographs as always Jane. The colour of the hydrangeas is so beautiful.

[Terri]

You didn't by chance see Mr. Darcy coming out of that pond did you?

Love the Hydrangea Blue as well, especially in a wedding.

[Cat]

As always - lovely photos that bring out a smile. All of our hydrangeas are pink. A hydrangea head in a teacup would look divine. Have a great week.

[karin]

I am sorry you have had a mostly grey July.
As always, I love your photos, but those hydrangeas are breathtaking. Thank you for showing them to us.

[eireann]

I'm back in Minnesota for July and really reveling in the Midwest summer as I never have--the surprise of waking up every day to blue sky and real heat. I'd stopped taking that for granted, even after only ten English months.

But I do miss England--I've really come to love it there--and I'll be glad to go back in the beginning of August. It feels like home.

Nice to read your words again, Jane. Take care.

[SAS]

First I love these photos and the blues! Only moments ago I wrote on my own blog about butterflies inspiring me to paint again -- and one of the things I love most is painting the blue sky. Karin ( she comments here, above me) mentions that she is visiting Minnesota! How exciting. I am here too! Please check out my blog - I have many photos of blue skies -- search for "Cloud" and "Gale Woods Farm" or "Carver"! It's just been a blue sky summer here. Thanks Jane! And Karin, so glad you are here to enjoy our lovely (& hot) summer.

[catherine]

The hydrangeas are beautiful, blue is definitely best - there are not many pure pink in my part of the world, but I love the bushes where some flowerheads are deep blue and others tend more towards a deep lilac with pink tinges (must be a very mixed kind of soil!). Amazing reflection photos - I'm glad there a few patches of blue for you.

[TACE]

The reflective photos are gorgeous. It would be interesting to try and snap a picture of people's reflections in the water.....I wonder if that could work? Might end up with a pond full of people though...haha If ya could get a photo of family or whoever reflected in the pond it could be entitled "Family Reflections" haha. Cool post.

[Sal]

What a lovely hydrangea...such a beautiful colour.I have a lilac coloured hydrangea in my garden.I must take a photo!
I love your reflections snaps ;-)

[Sal]

What a beautiful coloured Hydrangea. I have a lilac coloured hydrangea in my garden..I must take a photo.
I love your reflections snaps ;-)

[Ruth]

I love your photos and the imagination that "saw" them in the first place. I especially enjoyed the idea of the flowers being left out for the paint to wash off...very clever.

[Kathleen]

I love hydrangeas, but I don't get to grow them, just too hot where I live. I felt kind of topsy-turvey looking at the sky/pond pictures. I actually had a sense of vertigo for a minute. Could we exchange weather patterns with you, all we have had is hot/dry weather and I would welcome a cool rainy cloudy sky at this point. All the photos are beautiful its difficult to differentiate the flowers from the sky.

[mindfulbeader]

I've just treated myself to an afternoon lazing in the garden with a crime novel and gazing up at the bluest sky we've had in Brum for quite some time. It feels as if I've had a mini-holiday - complete with rock cakes and earl grey tea!

[Teena]

Oh those water pictures are so deceptively pure and simple! Amazing! They make me quite giddy! Now, the real question is whether your palette of cupcake dyes has a hydrangea blue! I could eat all of those flowers! t.x

[Holly]

My English boyfriend has gone home for a week, returning to the US today with my much anticipated copy of your new book! How lucky I am to have a personal importer, soon to be rewarded with baked goods of your description.

[Kathe Kramer]

I love your posts. I tried to be all cavalier when you mentioned taking the summer "off". I'm a mom, I understand, (in my head). But! I miss you, (in my heart). Cavalier, nonchalant, aloof, try as I might, they just don't work for me. The photos are beautiful, but the not upside down ones make me dizzy.

[Cassie Kemp]

Oh Jane, the last photo of the hydrangea blue is absolutely beautiful.

[Chubby Chick]

What beautiful blue hydrangeas! Thanks for sharing! :)

[Jayne]

Yipppeeeeeee!!!! Have just realised you're back! Have missed your beautiful pictures and prose so much.

[Rhiannon]

I especially love the white hydrangeas with just the slightest hints of blue. They've been one of my favourite flowers ever since childhood as they filled the bottom of my grandparent's garden.

[Lora]

I was reading about women and flowrs yesterday from Sons and Lovers, and about the mutual exposure between women and flowers: 'When she bent and breathed a flower, it was as if she and the flower were loving each other.' It was also suggested that women must always arrange their flowers in front of their looking glass. This made me want to pick some blue flowers I had previously admired just before my front door and arrange them before my looking glass this morning. It really was lovely, especially as there was some early morning sun coming in through the window. And it is true that flowers are great in front of a looking glass or around a looking glass.

[Naomi]

I had hydrangeas for my wedding flowers! I carried pink and blue, and my bridesmaids each had one white hydrangea, and I decorated the ends of the pews with pink and blue hydrangeas and trailing ivy. I seem to think that there is a 'hydrangea blue' in the Squires food colouring collection....but I agree it would be a marvellous colour for paint.

[little red hen]

The light is amazing in your part of the world!

[little red hen]

The topsy-turvy trees and clouds look as if they could be one of the worlds at the top of the 'Far Away Tree'

[Alva]

I adore your hydrangea photographs - and what a lovely blog! This is my first visit but I'll certainly be back for more!

[Lora]

I have also happened to be taking some photo of trees reflected on a park's pool. I was sitting under the sun by the water and the pool and willowy tree were in front of me and it just seemed that the reflection was as important as the tree itself. On looking more closely at the photo now, I would say that the beauty on the watery reflection of a natural landscape probably springs from the fact that it reminds us of an expressionist painting. Non-linear dashes of colour trapped in light.