Sticky fingers.

It's June and the Roses are out!

I'm not a great rose grower although I planted this one (£3-99 at a discount store). It's a miracle you can see it - we are a bit overgrown at the moment. The grass is waist high and both me and the lawnmower collapsed at about the same time.

It's my favourite rose of all - 'The Peace Rose'.

Normally the growers launch new varieties every year and they follow fashions; roses have a short shelf life.

The Peace Rose came out in 1947 and it's still going strong.

So, I guess, the first rose of peace was always going to be a really good one. During the war the national priority was food - no new roses.

It also reflected the optimism of the new NHS, nationalisation, decent pensions and Social Security that all came at the same time.

It's beautiful; big blousy flowers and lots of them.

And they smell.........gorgeous.

I'm not really thinking of roses at the moment. I had a busy afternoon yesterday trying to display my photos for the craft tent at Wraysbury fair. It's a bit fraught. All a flurry of out of date glue and sticky fingers.

I'm having a crisis of confidence. My photos are always provocative and unusual. But because the last 9 months have been pretty grim my year hasn't been quite so exciting as usual (well not in a way that's suitable for a family fair) and so my photos aren't so exciting either.

If I'm honest, they are too nice.

So I don't have any great hopes and I will be a very sore loser by this time tomorrow......so watch out.

Neil Harris
(a don't stop till you drop production)

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