Friday, April 20, 2007

Flowers in the garden (Photo-essay)


"Flowers do intoxicate me." So admitted
Vita Sackville-West (1892- 1962). And another lover of flowers in Walt Whitman (1819-1892) is on record on the same page of collected quotes about flowers as owning that "A morning-glory at my window satisfies me more than the metaphysics of books" while Emma Goldman (1869-1940) is quoted as admitting that "I'd rather have roses on my table than diamonds on my neck."

For my part though, the truth of the matter is that I'm not someone who generally gets all that excited by the sight -- and/or scent -- of flowers. So I'd say that it has to take something pretty special for me to sit up and thoroughly appreciate their very existence.

About a month ago, such a thing happened. More specifically, one morning, I noticed a profusion of bees busily buzzing around near the window closest to my desk. Upon looking out of said window, I discovered that the bees were being attracted to the bright flowers which seemed to have bloomed virtually overnight on the tree that's situated closest to the window.

Later, as I walked around my father's garden, I realized that there were more flowers in it than is usual. In retrospect, I realize that the recent dry season over here in Penang appeared to have triggered the equatorial climate's equivalent of spring with regards to many of the plants. And sure enough, these days, in the wake of the coming of a new wet season, there sadly aren't so many examples of flora in view anymore. Sad because for a time, even I got to be impressed by the beauty of flowers and the joy the sight of these gifts of nature can bring... ;S

The fluffy bee magnets that got me
looking out of my window

Contrast how they look when not in bloom

A photograph which captures
the different blooming stages
of the flowering plant
whose scientific name is
Ixora sunkist

A less mandala-like view of a more colorful lotus flower
than in the photograph decorating yesterday's post

"To create a little flower is the labor of ages."
-- William Blake (1757-1827)

"The flower is the poetry of reproduction.
It is an example of the eternal seductiveness of life."
-- Jean Giraudoux (1882-1944)


"People from a planet without flowers
would think we must be mad with joy the whole time
to have such things about us."

-- Iris Murdoch (1919-1999)

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nice contrast between the bloom, not in bloom flowers outside your window.

Are the koi fish in the garden too?

Can we see an overview picture of the garden as living in a very different climate I'm intersted to see how the plants/flowers/fish fit together.

YTSL said...

Hi sbk --

Yep re the Koi fish being in the garden too. But alas, I don't think that I'll be able to produce an overview picture of the garden as I'm not sure I can find any good angles to take such a photograph... ;S