Exotic Beauties of the Flowering World

How could anyone not love orchids? I can't resist them. A look at them, and my heart melts. I'm not surprised that the orchid plant is often referred to as the "Queen of the realm of plants". It really looks regal to me, I must say, and the flowers are definitely queenly, demanding our utmost respect. Some orchids are princess-like, needing to be coddled and given the attention that princesses require! 


Orchids are...
graceful



exotic



and delicate.



Orchids symbolize ...


luxury





strength



love



perfection





rare beauty



refinement




wisdom




magnificence



affection





virility





thoughtfulness



charm



and splendour.




From what I have read pertaining to the meaning and symbolism attached to orchids, the person who gives a gift of orchids is expressing not only his love, but also his respect for the girl of his dreams. His choice of orchids also speaks of his admiration and he is paying the recipient the highest form of compliment, I feel, when he buys her orchids. Orchids are also universally recognized as the perfect conveyor of the message of love and thoughtfulness. 

 

If you want to see more orchids like the ones above, click here, and you'll be transported to the garden where all these blooms were photographed.

Nature's Messenger of Love

give her your heart

express your sincere regard 

orchids speak of love

cattleya's thoughtful charm

will bring her to your arms

to reciprocate your love

send her purple orchids galore

this says her rare beauty you adore

that's how you captivate your love

shower her with orchids exotic

bewitch her with its delicate mystique

then you'll be worthy of her love

(For Thursday Poets Rally and Poetry Picnic)

sponge in the wonder

thank nature for she creates

orchids in the breeze

(For Haiku Heights and Haiku My Heart)

Linking to:

Share the Joy Thursday
Thursday Poets Rally (Week 55)
Poetry Picnic
Haiku Heights
Haiku My Heart
Weekend Flowers
Fertilizer Friday
Macro Friday
Macro Flowers Saturday
Today's Flowers
Macro Monday
Mosaic Monday

Paradise for Orchid Lovers

The Orchid Garden in Kuching, Sarawak in East Malaysia is well maintained, and a stroll in this garden is delightful. The varieties they have here are mind boggling, so I'm not even attempting to ID all the orchids. Some of the orchid beds have tags, but most are deemed identifiable, I guess, but not to a novice like me. If you happen to see any that you are familiar with, do share your knowledge in the comment box, won't you?


I can't possibly put all my photographs in one post, as there are too many, so for today's post, I shall....well, I shall just give you an overview of the garden and present some close-ups.


This public garden is located right in the city of Kuching, just adjacent to the Astana (Palace).From the city centre, we can see the Palace across the Sarawak River and what is quite unusual for me but which is common to those who live in this land of many rivers, is that we have to catch a boat to ferry us across that river. The price of the ride? A mere fifty cents! Here's our boatman!  




There's the Palace.




We have to walk past the Palace gates to get to the Orchid Garden.





Here it is, The Orchid Garden!




From inside the garden, we can see another landmark of Kuching, the State Legislative building.

vigour  resonates

vibrant and strong in your youth

song of orchids trill

(Haiku Heights - prompt : vibrant)

the perfume of you

drifts in my sublimal dreams

rare, mystic orchid

(For Sensational Haiku Wednesday - prompt: rare)

For Tootsie

 rain falls

on tired orchids 

petals curl up in storm

unbeaten they unfold again

sun shines

Cinquain for Poery Picnic

and

Thursday Poets Rally

Linking to:

Haiku Heights

Sensational Haiku Wednesday

Thursday Poets' Rally(Week 54)

Haiku My Heart

Poetry Picnic

Share The Joy Thursday

Fertilizer Friday
Weekend Flowers
Macro Friday
Today's Flowers
Macro Flowers Saturday
Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day

Bringing you Bromeliads from Borneo

Hi, I'm back from my short break. I was in Sarawak on the island of Borneo, and did I have a break! In the span of one week, I had enough excitement and unforgettable encounters with the flora and fauna of Sarawak to fill many, many posts in my garden blog as well as my travel blog.

I shall begin with the domestic flora encounters in the safe environment of the Orchid Garden of Kuching City first of all, and then proceed to the more exciting varieties of the flora of the mangrove swamps in my later posts.

The Orchid Garden in Kuching had displays of fabulous orchids, of course, but there were unexpected surprises in store too. The bromeliads which were part of the side attraction were wonderfully breath-taking too. I am not familiar with the varieties there, so this post is not one with plant profiles, but I'm relying on the showy flowers to speak for themselves.

striking, love her flair

spectacular, but  beware 

her prickly thorns stab

(for Sensational Haiku Wednesday)

how impossible

to fathom capricious fate

 meandering leaf

(Haiku Heights: prompt - Impossible)

Linking to:

Haiku Heights

Sensational Haiku Wednesday

Thursday Poets' Rally

Haiku My Heart

Share The Joy Thursday

Fertilizer Friday
Weekend Flowers
Macro Friday
Today's Flowers
Macro Flowers Saturday

I'm taking a break... a coffee break!

Coffee Camaraderie

Sitting alone at the patio table

sipping peace to the trill of birdsong

nothing beats that cup of fresh brewed coffee

steaming hot in the chilly morning air

.

Having coffee for one might be fun, but

sharing a pot for two is a joyful conspiracy

exchanging stories between sips of friendship

breaking  biscuits and news to be shared by two

So here's to coffee camaraderie

to bonding and conviviality

come take a coffee break with me!

I shall be away, taking a break in Kuching, Sarawak for a week, so I shall not be participating in my favourite memes for a while. In the meantime, for those who drop in, help yourselves to some tea or coffee in these rose-patterned cups, and have a haiku to go with your cuppa:

change the rhythm

dare to reinvent yourself

emerge from cocoon

Linking to:
Sensational Haiku Wednesday
Share the Joy Thursday
Thursday Poets Rally
Haiku Heights

Illumination

Illumination

from within and from without

zen enlightenment

(For Haiku Heights)

From without:

sometimes the light from the setting sun

blazes strong and adamant

reluctant to leave centre-stage

and sometimes, the tired sun

casts a gentler light as it sets

seemingly glad to go to bed and have a goodnight's sleep

and the moon takes over

bathing the darkness

with its soft silvery light

Still illuminating from without:

the evening sun still bright

beams its golden light on the waves

signalling to the seagulls that day's toil is almost done

the revealing light of truth

baring for all to discover

dark secrets and crimes of passion

the noon light 

benevolent, casting a vertical shadow

forming an umbrella of love

highlighting the many facets

of singular blooms

the sun empowers and beautifies 

From within:

and magically 

there's light illuminating from within

the burning embers of the heart 

From within yet without:

illuminating the bleak interior of caverns

and underground rivers

neon lights reveal a wonderland 

dispersing all fears of the dark and unknown

that caves are wont to transmit 

if there were no illuminating light within

without the light

will there be shadows

without shadows

won't everything be just plain bright?

Linking to:

Word for Wednesday

Today's Flowers

Mosaic Monday

Macro Monday

Haiku Heights