Bloomin' Roses @ our Villa

In case you wondered THIS is the Papa coming home from his long walk down the hill, parking is never close, but we are thankful that it isn't further, and HEY, exercise is good for us!

Living in America, we drive everywhere!

We drive to the stores, the library, the well, everywhere...

We even drive to the park to take a walk. NO I am not kidding...

I have blogged here about it.. But Living here in Lyon, we walk, and we walk, well we walk almost everywhere...

On RARE occasions we take public transportation's, and Rob does drive to work, because his job is a ways outside the city... like 40 minutes with out traffic on the expressway ... driving required.. but he walks to the car...

Here he is, he has arrived at our home away from home, our Villa !Don't the blessings look so thrilled to see him? YES, he is frequently attacked like this. :)

What I want you to notice however is the Rose next to him.

Please note that my husband is 6'5" tall.

That Rose is a long stem rose coming out of the ground and our patio is raised a good 4 inches from the earth where that is coming out of the ground...

that is ONE BIG ROSE!!!!!!!!!!!here it is a couple days later opened up a bit more.. with two new buds ABOVE it still!!!

Have you guessed yet this post is on our little garden?

When we were first married, in our first home we had a rose garden..

It was nothing so grand as this..

This is what we dreamt of as we dug and planted, as we fertilized and watered...

This is what we imagined, when we plotted and we planned...

When we moved to our current home, not the villa but the one in the States, we tried, but the soil just wouldn't take. Every rose plant died...

So we have things like daisies, and day Lillie's, and irises... Isn't this one a beauty?

The fragrance is magnificent, I wish you could smell it too...

I like the way this one curls a bit at the edges and is two toned...
so pretty, so delicate, so darling! Rather "girly"

Buddy begs each morning to go outside to smell the "pretty flowers"...
and then I HAVE to come smell this one... or that one...
He might be a bit like Sean Thornton in the Quiet Man one day
planting Roses for his sweetheart
instead of something practical
God Bless him!


Mmmm doesn't it smell pretty, isn't it wonderful???

just opening

utterly
exploding

and ready to fall

Princess will collect the petals and put them in a bowl

they smell beautiful!

these are tightly bound, smaller and almost look like double explosions...

They are strong in scent , deep red, with leaves a darker green....

a pale pink beauty,

fairy tales are made of dreams like these...

pinch me pretty in pink!

the rambling roses! growing on the wall, on the roof of the neighbors house,

and over the wall too
simply

and

exactly

what you think of

when you think of a

city garden

in the south of France

this is not my lighting

no trick of photography

this is THE beautiful

violet color of the rose

do you see the bumble bee???

bumble bee is ever so busy

pollinating my flowers

and we are so thankful

to buy the wonderful honey
at the market!

a sweeping view of these rambling roses on the roof tops and walls

just a lovely view

from my terrace

precious peach,

a blossom just opening,

smelling sweet,

but holding in so much fragrance

until it opens

a neighboring rose bud pal...

a bit further along

a tightly bound beauty

bold in color

bold in scent

golden yellow buds,

I look forward to their opening day...

their color like the sunshine

a different bee...

he doesn't look as friendly to me

what a profusion of blossoms!!!

blessed be the Lord!

How grand a gardener put this together,

but how much grander

Eden must have been

We are each so different...

each person in my family is different from the other

their talents are different

they look different,

like different things,

but we are one family.

We as human beings are all so different,

we speak different languages,

eat different foods,

have different customs,

cultures, faiths

yet we are still

humans

we are still created beings...

created in His image...

We Christians,

we too are different..

we worship differently from place to place

we look different

dress different

think and teach different

and yet in the end

I hope

we are simply

followers of Christ

first

and foremost.

the Bride...

Like each of these roses,

so different in color

size

scent

shape

cluster, or loner...

they are still roses

in a garden

one garden...

Isaiah 61:11

11For as the earth brings forth its sprouts,

And as a garden causes the things sown in it to spring up,

So the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise

To spring up before all the nations.