The heatwave taught me that hell is the absence of change. The unusual heat spells and no rainfall this summer have resulted in an unprecedented drought in England.
I noticed something wrong after our freesias retreated too early in June. Then the temperature consistently hit above 30 celcius in July.
The joy of summer quickly turned into horror as we caught a clear view of humankind’s probable fate in the age Anthropocene; like frogs slowly boiling in a pan.
Naturally, the Homegrown Series took a different tone this year. Usually, I’d have a crop of fresh and vivid blooms, but this year they ended up either pale or scorched by the sun.
“I tried to keep my roses fresh for photoshoot by keeping them overnight in the fridge. But the bright pink colour turned drastically pale.”
The flowers I harvested during the heatwave were still beautiful, although a little damaged and not fulfilling their full potentials. Deterioration is a part of the natural life cycle, so I continued to use my battered garden flowers in my composition.
After all, they were my babies.
I tried to keep my roses fresh for photoshoot by keeping them overnight in the fridge. But the bright pink colour turned drastically pale. I soaked the wilting flowers in water as they deteriorated rapidly in the heat.
Finally in August, an official drought has been announced in London as dried, yellow grass becomes a common sight in parks everywhere in the country. The disaster observed in the British gardens was scaled up at agriculture level. Many flowering plants, vegetables and fruit crops perished prematurely in the heat.
The Evening Standard reported: “Extreme temperatures and a lack of rain mean the UK is experiencing the earliest signs of autumn in 20 years. Trees have begun to drop their leaves, and berries are ripening weeks ahead of schedule amid the record temperatures.” (28 July 2022).
The natural landscape might change forever if we do nothing to prevent climate change.
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“The heatwave taught me that hell is the absence of change.”
After The Rain 