Friday 17 May 2013

Poldark and prose


Top photo not from my garden, but to remind me that it is nearly Aquilegia time!


I sat in the garden this afternoon, with "Demelza" by Winston Graham, as I had been chatting elsewhere about the remake of the Poldark series for tv, and thinking about who I would choose to play Ross Poldark.  I think . . . and I haven't thought very long or hard about it yet - I think, it might be Toby Stephens, who played Mr Rochester in the 2006 miniseries of Jane Eyre. He seems,to me, to have that slight cynicism and edginess to him, along with charm and wit, and I can see him playing Ross. . .  What do you think?  And who would you choose for Demelza?





Anyway, as I was sitting in the garden, I relaxed and was aware of the apple-blossom buds looking just like pink lipstick, fading to pink-blush and white as they opened, and humming gently with bees.  There were sparrows squeaking, a Blackbird whistling in the paddock, and a Robin was hovering over a discarded cat bowl, like a stout and very dowdy humming-bird.



In the nearby flower bed, the deepest purple of the Cranesbill "Widow's Weeds" are  perfect for the the Bowles Mauve Erysimum, and beside it were the iridescence of the pink flowers on the Scnted-leaf Geranium.  My untidy borders have Cowslips rubbing shoulders with Lady's Smock, as the Celendines fade and wither for another year.

 

Beside the pond, the green and yellow striped blades of Iris stand straight like a battalion of swordsmen, and the breeze tousled the snowberry leaves and blew through the Mossy Saxifrage so their flowers trembled.  The sun sunk down behind the house and the Speedwells began to think of hiding their faces for the night.  Spring bliss . . .


9 comments:

  1. My friends little girl is called Harriet Demelza, I have never met anyone in real life with that name, I love it.
    I would choose Shannon Beer, who played Cathy in Wuthering heights, 2011.

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  2. Lovely flowers and cool water, great combination. I have heard of the Poldark series but haven't seen or read it and would like to.

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  3. The 'real' Demelza in the series had a funny little face and lots of hair, today most female actors are very beautiful but without any character in their faces, so stumped. Might have to get a new computer as well, as mine just won't upload photos anymore and they are an important record..... And the potter through your garden was beautiful as well.

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  4. What a beautiful garden - love the photos :)

    I hadn't heard they were re-making Poldark. I used to love the series - one of my favourites (I have a few episodes on dvd somewhere) and I loved the books.

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  5. Lovely flowers and winsome prose to describe them--nearly poetry, I think.
    The Poldark series on PBS is one of my all-time favorites. I was quite in love with Ross--and of course one shudders at the evil Warleggan and Ossie whats-his-name, the vicar with the peeping-Tom tendancies. I have the books in dog-eared paperback--should tackle the tiny print and re-read them.
    Winston Graham returned to the series and added two or three books years later, which I had from the library. As I recall, the story fell rather flat at that point. Strange to think that the original films were made over 30 years ago and the dashing actors and actresses likely now doddering!

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  6. It is nearly Aquilegia time. Even mine are getting close. They have traveled with me from garden to garden since pulling some out from my Grandmother's house in 1995. Proper Columbines; one of my favourite flower names too.

    Lovely photos even if they are from your archive. As for Demelza, I'll have to have a think about that! Their faces are forever imprinted on my brain as they were then.

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  7. My aquilegia are just coming into bloom - they are my absolute favourites - but I have never seen the colour you show in your photo - they are exquisite.

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  8. I love Poldark and have all the DVDs of the series.The actor who played Ross has a website now about diabetic cooking! The Ladies Bonnets are already flowering down in Dorset.

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  9. Goosey - lovely to see you again. I went to his website but didn't read enough to know it was about Diabetic cooking. Dorset is where I first saw Columbines flowering (down at Arne). They grow wild here along the lanes.

    Weaver - I am trying to think of the name of that exotic-looking red and yellow one. I bought seeds, but not many germinated and most of those got finished off in the hard winters we had recently. You will see 100s more athttp://www.touchwoodplants.co.uk/aquilegia-seed-described-forms.htm I got my seeds from this lovely lady and want to visit her garden again this month to get more seeds and look at her beautiful flowers. I will take my eldest daughter I think, as she is here next week.

    Em - the Poldark actors will be a hard act to follow as they are so "set in stone" so to speak. Spring must be just about with you now then if the Aquilegias are coming into bloom. Mine are just about too, and Weaver's so spring seems to have caught up with itself across the country.

    MM - I have just ordered Bella Poldark from Amazon (at a penny . . .) so I am planning to re-read/read my way through the series again. I saw the extra titles listed, but what a shame they went a bit flat. I was surprised at how long ago he wrote them - starting back in the 30s and 40s . . .

    Ragged Robin - those were last year's photos. I have had some losses over the past few winters and looking back at old photos it would seem some of my favourite plants have bit the dust . . . The garden has been slow to start this year after another cold spring.

    Thelma - Demelza had such character - a gamin elvish face and a hard act to follow. I am praying they don't go down the Eddie Redmayne route for Ross as he is beautiful but soft and Ross needs a hard edge to him, a soldier's face (although my husband tells me that Robin Ellis lacked that look : "You could tell HE was never a soldier!")

    Terra - I would have to have water in any future garden - a BIG wildlife pond, as mine gives me SO much pleasure. I hope you can view some Poldark as you are in for a treat.

    Kath - my husband's cousins daughter has Demelza as a middle name too. So pretty and unusual. We may be down your way this summer, viewing a couple of houses (one in Glastonbury), so we will have to meet up.

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