This week’s Photo Challenge is Nostalgic.

I was watering the garden the other evening and I was thinking about how one of the roses reminded me of my mum and dad’s garden. I’d never really acknowledged before how the colour, shape, fragrance or even just the name of a flower can transport you back to another time and place.

Freesias are one of my favourite flowers as they remind me of the ten years I spent on the beautiful island of Guernsey. Fragrant freesias were everywhere, sold on locals’ doorsteps where you left payment in an honesty box. Just the sight or scent of a freesia sends me instantly back to Fermain Bay. White Roses, my joint favourite that I had in my wedding bouquets.

A Red Rose reminds me of my daughter’s university graduation last year as it’s the University emblem and it’s on the sash of her graduation gown. Oh, I’m such a proud mum! She’ll be doing this again this year for her Master’s graduation.

This lovely white blossom in Curragh’s Wildlife Park as I remember an escaped Macaque monkey jumping out of a tree and landing just by my feet as I took this photograph. I’m not sure which one of us was frightened the most.

I’d like to think that poppies remind me of the stunning Normandy landscape as I lived in Rouen for 2 years but I only remember fields and fields of sunflowers and I’m not really a fan of those. Now ask me about food memories from France and that would be different – maybe for another post another day! However, besides the obvious, poppies do remind me of my mid summer view in Laxey Bay as they are normally growing in the two boat planters by the beach at this time. Some new crinkly purple poppies in the Laxey gardens taken yesterday afternoon that will now always remind me of this location as I’ve never seen these before.

Daffodils remind me of my mum as they are her favourite flower. For me, daffodils always signal the arrival of the real spring that I’ve been suggesting won’t be long in arriving since November – always the optimist! Normally first seen at Lonan Old Church.

Water Lilies and Wild Yellow Orchids will always remind me of Ballannette nature reserve.

There may sometimes be lots of purple heather in the south of the island but I’m instantly reminded of a family holiday touring Scotland when I was probably ten years old. I didn’t really appreciate the Scottish landscape at the time as it rained for the whole 2 weeks and I recall the best time ever we had was learning to ice skate at Aviemore. Not more purple heather! Scotland, I’m certain I’d love and appreciate your beautiful landscape now!

If I now see any flowers sprouting through a dry barren landscape, I’ll always think about Petra in Jordan and how I was fascinated by the pretty flowers and greenery that randomly sprouted and survived on hardly any water.