The Primrose Girl
oil on canvas
William Ward Laing, English, ca 1873 to 1902
Today is National Primrose Day for the flower lovers among you.
I didn’t watch the Grammys last night, but congratulations to Miley Cyrus for her first Grammy wins, Best Pop Solo Performance and Record of the Year, for her song “Flowers.” I read a brief history of the song at some point recently. It originally had a sad trajectory, then somewhere in the process she turned it into a song of empowerment after a broken relationship. That and being catchy definitely worked to the song’s advantage.
Fun photo thinking back to that day in October 2009 when my Miley Cyrus doll and I went shopping. Now I wish our nearby antique mall still existed. Debby and I loved browsing there. It was a great place to find unique gifts. Too late, I realize I could have had a lot of fun posing my dolls among the antiques and collectibles. Missed opportunities.
The way I’m structuring the seventh novel in the Neverending Saga is tricky, and I’m working it out as I go. Even if it has to change, I’m going to be thinking of “Flowers” when I get to the character who’s made some big changes in her life between the sixth book and this one. I want her to have that spirit.
ETA: Oh, for crap’s sake. Just read this reference on a post-Grammy sum-up of how well women fared in the awards last night: –From Eilish’s heart-stopping performance of “What Was I Made For?”—wearing cat’s-eye sunglasses and a 1960s sweater like Peggy Olson from “Mad Men”—
If only they’d done their homework, they’d have understood Billie Eilish’s outfit was a tribute to Barbie, the film, and the Barbie doll. The photo from the Grammys:
Photo by Valerie Macon/Agence France-Presse, Getty Images
Eilish was wearing classic Barbie!
Poodle Parade Barbie, my 1995 reproduction of the 1965 original
Shared this version because the film version makes me cry, and I still haven’t seen the movie yet.
Primroses are one of my favourite flowers. I love seeing the wild flowers in woodlands and on banks. They also remind me of my mother, who had many that self-seeded in her garden.
Laing’s painting is very Victorian – the girl looks very pure.
Did you and your mother ever garden together?
Occasionally. As she got older, I would help her out more. We used to visit garden centres a lot.