
Although I always enjoy Becky’s months of squares, there’s something about the day after that appeals to my rebellious side. Today I’m sharing pictures with reasons for not squaring them. For example, I couldn’t crop the top one square and keep the feeling of plenty.
Before someone congratulates me, I didn’t grow them. I grew these:

No plenty to preserve here. Some of you may remember that my unprotected garden peas suffered from an entirely different kind of cropping.
Then there’s this:

Remembering old highway men who would ride up and ask ‘Your money or your life?’, I can’t see this without thinking, ‘The roses or the arched windows?’
I dare say I could have chosen, but I chose not to.

And who wants to lose even a spoonful of pie? Not me, especially not a fancy one, like this.

To end with, while it would have been tempting to ask what you think of Helen of Troy’s perspective, as depicted here, I positively needed all of these curls. I did have to crop a bit at the top because of reflection from the glass, so technically this is a detail of the original picture in Liverpool’s Walker Art Gallery.
Oh I love the rebellious you. These are fab 😍
Just another pitch for an official rebellion day. 🙂
Hee hee, I figured as much!
Love the shot of Gresgarth garden but I have to say Helen of Troy looks rather like a very petulant child.
I was wondering what words would best describe her expression, which I absolutely love. There’s suspicion in the eyes and sulkiness in the lips.
I thought the same.
All great reasons not to crop and I totally agree with Eunice!
As we would say up north, she’s not chuffed.
That’s the face that launched a thousand ships? What an enigmatic end to end your rebellious post! I am, of course, coveting those windows with the white roses clambering up around them, while cringing at those poor peas.
Cropping is its own art, isn’t it?
And the caterpillars have got it off to a fine art. Some ate through the pods, but others left all the peas protected by a thin membrane, like these, so I still ate them. They just had to be picked small and sweet. I wouldn’t say I had no qualms about eating something that had come so close to spitty caterpillars, but every pealet was still a joy.
That strange sound you just heard was me laughing out loud. Pealet? Spitty caterpillars? Well, I congratulate you on your harvest, meager though it may be. You are right that such sweetness, hard-gained, is a joy.
Ha ha, great post, I love both the roses and the arch windows but if there was only one…oh maybe the arch windows stay 🤔😉
I think you’re right. The roses would have to go. 🙂
What a great post – and I agree with all the comments so far!
I think the rebellion day should be added to future challenges, then we can all save our can’t-possibly-crop-squares as we go along. 🙂
Great idea! Are you listening, Becky?
You are quite right, not everything can be squared. Is there a story behind the petulant looking Helen? Why was she depicted like this, I wonder. You’ve left us with more questions than you planned perhaps!
Perhaps the only certainty is that her beauty was a burden. Her story has captured so many artists’ imaginations down the centuries and they have all placed upon her perspectives that reflect their own character or the principles of their age. This is the perfect Pre-Raphaelite interpretation for me. I love the expression – it does her more justice than if she was impassive or smiling with tragedy so close at every turn. And as you say, it makes us wonder.
Without reading the caption of the 2nd photo, I thought you made an aerial shot. I see unusual wooden pathways on emerald green lake. Too much imagination, I guess 😛
They certainly don’t look like peas! Too much imagination is a great thing, unless you’re watching a scary movie… 🙂
Used to make this mistake. And I couldn’t sleep for one whole day 🙂
Oh, that pie! Blueberry is my favorite.
It tasted as good as it looked. My favourite is wimberry, which are wild blueberries around here.
Great post! Isn’t it annoying when a crop just wont work! Don’t you worry about those peas! I share so much with nature, it’s nuts! I would take the windows and the roses! 👏
It never bothers me too much until squares month comes around. Then, all of a sudden, everything goes awry. 🙂
The caterpillar that ate these pods was willing to share, so I did get the peas, even though they were more grain sized than pea sized.