Brief encounter

A month ago I was looking at these and wondered if the poor things would even open. They had been battered and bruised by the high winds and hail. Some were broken, their leaves were torn to shreds and buds were closed tight.

But, they not only survived and bloomed, they have been stunning. Beautiful red punctuation marks in the garden.

Now, their petals have started to drop and it wont be long until they are scattered on the ground. A brief moment of glory but better that than none at all.