weeds invade, lawn ruined
rifts to mend, woes to tend to
mind in muddy mess
(For Sensational Haiku Wednesday)
I'm feeling a little down, and my garden reflects my frame of mind. Or could it be that the state of my garden affects my frame of mind? It is an issue of which comes first, the chicken or the egg, but what is certain is that garden-lovers and their gardens co-exist in a symbiosis.
What is one to do when things are not all right with the world? Is there an elixir to cure the blues? What matters now is to address the issues and to find joy in small doses. So I go in search of small doses of joy...if I can find them, in the garden.
Small dose #1
I go out to my backyard to photograph some lantana, and what do I see? Some butterflies I have never seen in my garden before, fluttering about. And wonder of wonders, two of the butterflies allowed me to take their photographs. This is a first for me, getting a shot of a butterfly in my own garden!
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| Wonder#1...she didn't move for so long! |
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| Wonder #2...don't know her name yet! |
Then, my cattleya plant decides to cheer me up by surprising me with some blooms. This plant is largely similar to my other compact cattleya plant named Pot. Thi Ti 'Chanchai Gold' which I posted about last month.
This is Chanchai Gold.
This is my other plant. Do they look identical to you? The one below has slightly smaller blooms, and there are only three flowers on a stalk. Might be a mini cattleya of the same Chanchai Gold, I guess. Whatever its name might be, I'm glad to see the lovely blooms. I'm beginning to feel more alive now, fresh interest aroused.
Small dose #3
This week is the first time my two jasmine bushes bloomed in full force. Usually one bush might make an attempt to flower - in spurts - and then it decides to abort the mission (sigh). Then the other bush might make a pretence of beginning to bloom - and of course it also decides to call off all operations. However, this time, in perfect synchronised timing, both bushes launched their execution of their assignment, codenamed: Burst of Blooms. This is a sight to remember! The flowers are like white sparklers in the night. Their fragrance is overwhelming...in a good sense (pun intended). Hey, what do you know, I feel more like my old self already.
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| I love the light 'snow' on the ground. |
Small dose #4
I walk on to my flower beds, and see new faces of old friends: my hibiscus flowers keep on blooming...they don't let the weather get them down. The red ginger flowers are now thriving...I count seven of them. The two ginger plants had looked sickly just a month ago. Oh, and my Dendrobium orchids which had been in my plant hospital for the past six months has now produced three sprays! They've been discharged from the hospital of course. The lantana plants may be straggly, but their blooms still do the job of attracting butterflies...and they're doing fine. Even my garlic vines which are sharing the same pergola with my Passiflora Soi Fah are blooming after a spate of petulant indignation that they had to share their digs with strangers. And my bauhinia kockiana are coming back and beautifying the arch with new, bright orange flowers.
So, have I found the answer - is there an elixir to cure the blues?
joy in small doses
in the simple things in life
elixir for woe
(For Height of Haiku Challenge Prompt: Elixir)
Linking to:
Sensational Haiku Wednesday
Fertilizer Friday
Macro Friday
Weekend Flowers
Macro Flowers Saturday
Today's Flowers
Mosaic Monday
Macro Monday
Mellow Yellow Monday
Macro Friday
Weekend Flowers
Macro Flowers Saturday
Today's Flowers
Mosaic Monday
Macro Monday
Mellow Yellow Monday
Thank you Poets Rally for the The Perfect Poet Award!
the next best cure-all
sweet aromatic solution
to lift your depression
to drown your sorrows
your sadness
your listlessness.
a pick-me-upper
saying "I hear you
I know you're feeling blue
I share your pain"
there is relief
there is reprieve.
the alchemist has turned
base metal into gold
RosieGan Sept. 2011
I nominate fiveloaf for his poem entitled Lines
sweet aromatic solution
to lift your depression
to drown your sorrows
your sadness
your listlessness.
a pick-me-upper
saying "I hear you
I know you're feeling blue
I share your pain"
there is relief
there is reprieve.
the alchemist has turned
base metal into gold
RosieGan Sept. 2011
I nominate fiveloaf for his poem entitled Lines
Oh! You have more butterflies! Great shots!
ReplyDeleteI destroyed/removed my own lawn which I spent a few thousand RM to lay a few years ago. No more blues.
beee uuuu tee ful!
ReplyDeleteand another mention of mud! yeah =)
Oh my friend your garden is so lovely as is your Elixir Haiku. Great write and wonderful pictures. You can't get any better then that. A pure pick up for a tired soul. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteMelanie
Gorgeous photos and perfect words in the Haiku!! Amazing world of flowers!!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous pics and a very thought provoking haiku.
ReplyDeleteI know that gardens do affect us. When mine are in need of Attention (note the capital A) it affects me big time. And there is no elixir better than to go out an look at the life your garden gives to God's creatures.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful pictures of your haven.
Oh yes there is nothing that lifts the blues quite as much as wandering through ones garden. so glad you are feeling better.
ReplyDeleteA bright spot of color can be an elixir for me. So can a drop of rain running down a window pane.
ReplyDeleteA Little Elixir
Sounds like you have a lot of reasons to cure 'em blues.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful as always. The mini Cattelya is the same plant, many reason why it's become mini ;) Thanks for sharing the beauties ;)
ReplyDeleteOkay....even I feel better after that wander.
ReplyDeleteMust be the changing season--or maybe it was the full moon? Or maybe it's just 'one of those things' that we all get to experience now and again?
Dunno that it matters. A wander worked for you--and for me for this moment. So thank you for that.
That's a wonderful haiku, and I thoroughly enjoyed the garden tour that prompted it.
ReplyDeleteAs for that yellow butterfly, Google produced several similar images, and most of them called it a Clouded Yellow Butterfly, probably because of the spots on the wings. :)
Those are great doses of joy, that Chanchai Gold looks spectacular.
ReplyDeleteYou shouldn't be feeling down, you have a lot to be happy for. That 2nd butterfly is very difficult to photograph so you are very privileged, and the blooming of your catleya also is another privilege.
ReplyDeleteGreat post...and you definitely hit the nail on the head about the relationship a gardener has with his/her garden.
ReplyDeleteVery beautiful and great color pick me up.
ReplyDeletea walk amidst all those beautiful flowers would surely race anyones spirits. beautiful photos, especially the butterfly.
ReplyDeleteSuch fantastic pictures! I am in awe!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.benjity.wordpress.com
Beautiful, beautiful, and beautiful!
ReplyDeleteWell Rosie, I sure hope this beautiful post lifted your blues, Nature certainly gave you some truly wonderful opportunities.
ReplyDeletedo you know that when I married, the decoration of church, party, my bouquet, everything was made with that yellow orchid???
ReplyDeletelove it
congrats...
You´ve great shots
Thanks for joining Weekend Flowers with this lovely blossoms. The collage is great :)
ReplyDeleteIt was only one Macro-Edition for now. :) But I think, it was not the last. :)
ReplyDeleteGreat pictures ... so beautiful ...
ReplyDeleteLG: Karin
Thank you for stopping by my blog. I have about 80,000 pictures left to take before I find my voice. Since I've only been shooting for about 3 years at my current rate I should make it by my mid 60's, just in time for retirement :-).
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed looking about your " heaven.". I live in the desert so I have to live vicariously through other's gardening wonders. Beautiful!
Your flowers are gorgeous. You spoil us with so many amazing small doses that sum up quite a large dose of beauty.
ReplyDeleteI envy you for those orchids.
Beautiful photos Rosie!
Thoughtful haiku... reflective of how deeply rooted you are in your garden (pun intended, haha)
ReplyDeleteHopefully the tender mending of your garden will do the same for your soul.
Gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteMy share of flowers, have a great week ahead.
What an exquisite looking flower the chanchai gold is. Really like your flower collage.
ReplyDeleteLove the photo of the Chanchai Gold.
ReplyDeleteHappy MM
Beautiful blooms.
ReplyDeleteHi there - thanks for visiting my blog - I always think its great to get butterflies in your garden. And a good shot of one is a real bonus!
ReplyDeleteYou flower pictures are splendid.
Cheers - Stewart M - Australia
What exquisite colors! And your jasmine is really lovely! Wishing you a wonderful day and thanking you for your kind visit! Cathy
ReplyDeletebeautiful flowers!! your garden is beautiful. i like the little snow on the ground. =)
ReplyDeletethanks for visiting my fungus!
You are so lucky to have butterflies, I don't know what happened here, but I haven't seen a single one in our garden this year !
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteGardening is my first passion. Just a stroll thru the garden does wonders for my soul! All of your photos are so beautiful! You have some gorgeous flowers that I have never heard of. I'm sure they don't grow here. The butterflies seem to be posing for you. Maybe they simply knew how they would brighten your day. Thanks for visiting me. I am now following you.
Lots of small doses make for a blanket of beauty. Your poetry and your photography are wonderful. Loved seeing the butterflies. For some reason, they did not frequent our area much this year. It was so sad. Your flowers in the individual shots and in the mosaic are stunning in their beauty. Yes, small doses do turn into works of beauty. genie
ReplyDeleteI am amazed at these photos of flowers and butterflies. They are beautiful. I scrolled down and found many more such beauties. Thanks for visiting me today. Have a lovley week. Pamela
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos!
ReplyDeleteNice pics of the jasmine flowers, Rosie...
ReplyDeleteYour flowers are amazing!! I wish I could grow flowers!
ReplyDeleteThis is my first time to walk into your garden.
ReplyDeleteThis place is lovely, and full of flowers. Their fragrance is really overwhelming.
Very nice post and I love jasmine and your pix had me longing for its fragrance
ReplyDeleteThose are some great photos! Congrats on your really beautiful collection of flowers!
ReplyDelete