...a way of seeing beyond inner and outer.

Thursday, April 28, 2011

The part where I impress you:

 I love French movies. Excuse, films.  I love French films.   I can sit through a horror flick in French and feel good about the world.

The part where I tell the truth:  As is the way of all people who do this and don't speak the language,  I forget I'm too lazy to have actually learned the language. By the time the film is over, I really do believe my French is flawless, even the Le deuxième forme du conditionnel passé. tense and I don't even know what the "second form of the past conditional" means for English, my mother tongue, believe it or not.

Now that you know my plu perfectly boring little secret, there was is this French film I've seen like...100 times. Seriously.  If I could get someone to only say things from this  movie, I could just quote lines back to them and they'd think I spoke French, but was insane.    The heroine, Manon, is a little.  Insane, that is and, by the end of the film,  she makes sure she has company. The film is Manon des Sources, a sequel to another equally cheery French movie, Jean de Florette.  See them if you like, but the point of this post is that carnations play an integral part in the plot of the sequel. I won't tell you how in case you decide to find and watch them and if you do, the sequel really only makes sense in the context of the first movie, excuse me, film,
but, this is about the carnations, the all too frequent victim/star of floral atrocities.  Geez but this flower is abused.

How does one turn something with this much potential:


Into something as horrible as this:

 This flower has the soul of Degas' la petite danseuse and you people, with your floral dye are turning it into Talouse la Trec woman. Not that there's anything wrong with cross dressing, but personally,  I'm happier elsewhere.
Like here:




and if you simply have to dye the poor dears, maybe keep in mind,  more often than not, more is just more.

The images above are from the following websites:

Unless they were hideous, in which case I choose to allow you to remain anonymous.

12 comments:

  1. I quite agree that the poor carnation has been all too abused. I believe it was because of it's low self esteem. How could it possibly compete with the legs of the tulip? The poor knocked-kneed lovely just needs a little leg up in the cut-throat world of floral design.

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  2. Alessandra,
    A brilliant contrast, and speaking of knees, unlike that dangerous beauty the tulip that reduced the Dutch economy to two patella'd genuflection, the sweet and lovely carnation never broke anyone's bank...well, there was that one guy, in the film, but he deserved it or at least his uncle did.

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  3. The poor carnation never has a chance against my favorite, the Hydrandea. It's status has been reduced because of poor or lazy menfolk who wait until the last minute on Valentines to look for some splendid arrangement, only to find what is left? Carnations. It fits their pocketbook, but not their sweetheart's vision of love.

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  4. GG,
    Girl, now you're not playing fair. I love me some hydrangeas. Almost to a fault, clearly, but I have a sweet darling girlfriend who was given some peach color carnations and bemoaning the fact that they were not everything an orchid could be. I wanted so much to show her how much lovely there was in even the lowly, hussied up carnation.
    I'm still with you.. hydrangeas are bring me to my knees ( speaking of knees ) beautiful. Peonies .. well, that's an almost unhealthy love affair..

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  5. Carnations can be divine. The key is to have each bud close to the others, in the same color, with no greenery showing. Or, the Martha method.

    I love French movies too. My all time favorite is: Les Parapluies de Cherbourg. Beautiful Catherine Deneuve, and all those gorgeous trench coats. Heaven.

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  6. and growing the little Dianthus flower is truly very easy...just don't over water...hardy in our zone 4 in northern Michigan...try it!
    maureen

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  7. J,
    I will check it out. I'm always on the look out for new ones. I'm sure you've seen Amelie, but another one I love and just saw recently was Prête-moi ta main. If you haven't, it's sort of cute.

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  8. Maureen,
    I grew the smaller dianthus like weeds in Texas, but in California, I chose a smaller growing area as a trade off to be closer to the beach. At this point, the only thing I grow are herbs and rarely think it isn't worth the sacrifice. It happens, but rarely.

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  9. I will admit to quickly scanning down to see what movie it was then letting out a little sigh of approval. Those. Movies. Are. Amazing. Actually, if we live in Provence today...it miiight just be...ok, NOT in regards to the wily townsfolk (and trust me that is spot on) but the beauty of the Garrigue. Actually, both were filmed less than an hour from chez nous. But truly Trace (can I call you Trace because I want to)? The subtitles just don't cut it.

    The carnation is not so lowly here in France. I have to rewire myself. And peonies will be in season in...two months!

    Have a great weekend.

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  10. damn.. I can tell I'm going to have to learn French. Seriously. just. damn. The French clearly know beauty and their assessment of the lovely dianthus is a testament to that fact.
    and peonies.. le sigh.. see? Already with the practice!
    and of course Trace it is.. love it. Very few people have ever done it, but one of them is my dad.. a brilliant man.

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  11. "Le Sigh"? No I'm sorry but stealing French from Pépé Le Pew does NOT COUNT.

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