The last rose

Even the roses, which have an amazingly long 'shelf life' over the summer and continue to bloom relatively late in the year, are beginning to fade as autumn approaches. They seem to have gone out of fashion to an extent these days. I seem to see fewer in gardens than when I was younger, which is a pity as I really like them. There are always some beautiful flowers along the side of Victoria Road as you walk down towards Salts Mill, and I like to see them with the mill as a backdrop. I thought this one a particularly pretty cultivar, with its pink petals a dark blush on the outside, fading to the palest shell pink in the centre. A little hoverfly was just nipping in there to explore! Pale pink roses always take me back to my family home. We had a long driveway and our neighbours planted a hedge of pink roses along the boundary. They were magnificent and provided my sister and I with lots of pink petals from which to make 'magical potions'! I seem to remember they were named after Princess Margaret, the late Queen's younger sister. Funny what details stick in a child's memory...