Peonies

There is a peony garden in the grounds of a shrine next to Ueno zoo. I go there every year to photograph the flowers. It's got so that I know the location of every bush. This one pictured is in the first section of the garden on the right-hand side. It only has two or three flowers on it every year, but that may be because I always get there late in the season, so perhaps the rest of the heads have fallen off by then. Peonies don't weather the elements very well, but I think this delicacy only adds to their appeal. They are by far my favourite flowers, which is a trait I share with my grandmother. She had just one treasured bush of wine-red flowers in the old garden at home and one day, when I was a toddler, I thought I would cheer her up by going out into the garden and snapping off and collecting all of the unopened buds as a present. I can still remember the expression on her face when I proudly dumped the lot into her lap.