Leaves

The colours were real. I saw them as they were, painted by the light and embraced by the magical reflections from the water. It was an ordinary Sunday when I set out looking for flowers. There were many familiar ones and the morning was rather ordinary until I happened to look in the direction of the ginger plants by the water's edge in the Singapore Botanic Gardens. From that point on, the leaves outshone the flowers!

More leaves...

Chorisia speciosa - False Silk Tree

Today I went to the Singapore Botanic Gardens and several flowers were in bloom. The most impressive show was put up by this False Silk Tree in the Cacti garden. The flowers were visited by bees on a Sunday outing. Look out for the thorny tree trunk and branches.

Nature's comforts

When I need assurance that all is well, I turn to nature. There is no need for words, no need for lengthy conversations. All I ever need to do is to focus on the parts of nature that appear before me and concentrate on its being - the form, the texture, the colours and how it responds to the time of the day. Yesterday, I found all the assurance that I needed on the premises of a condominium that I was visiting. When I emerged from the underground carpark, the first sign of beauty greeted me from high above against a lovely blue sky was this fruitful palm:

Next were the rich purple flowers of the Bauhinia x Blakeana or the Hong Kong Orchid tree.The orange Ixoras were quietly adorning the flower beds.And leaves so green you forget that elswhere they have no chance to grow.And the final burst of evening sunlight make the fragrant spider lilies hungry for another day.Finally, by the pool, these heliconias enjoyed the last rays of the sun before retiring for the night.

Water lilies

Something about this flower, like the lotus, exudes goodness and a joy for living. We need to look at beautiful flowers like these to remind us that the world has lots of room for good and more if there is more conscious effort to rid it of things that taint it.

Durian Fruits

The flowers were first spotted in abundance in the first week of April. Of the hundreds or thousands of flowers that bloomed, these are the ones that made it. This post celebrates the presence of these beautifully-formed durians still up on the tree. They are on no-man's land and are free for those who wait.

Ixora

The colour of lipstick moisturised by the rain - an Ixora bloom that brought freshness into my life for a brief moment.

A remarkable Orchid

I have nothing to offer from outside my house. I have not been taking pictures of flowers outdoors. But in my house are these lovely blooms that have been quietly unravelling their beauty over the weeks. I am not into orchid flowers and have no idea what this orchid is called. Last night while watching 'Break Up' starring Jennifer Aniston on HBO, I caught sight of a pot of this orchid on the table next to the sofa she was sitting on. This orchid is a star!

Basella alba 'Rubra' - Ceylon Spinach

I've always known this plant by its Chinese name '潺菜'. I've never seen the flowers or the fruits till recently. Actually, I have not managed to see the flowers because everytime I look at this plant it is either full of buds or fruits.

We boil this vegetable in a soup with stock made from ikan bilis. The best part of this vegetable soup is the preserved duck's egg that is not recommended for people who want to live healthily. But once in a while, it is all right to consume something that is high in cholestral but heavenly in taste.

Pursuing a passion

I took a short break over the weekend and had a great time with my family. Sidetracks from family time included a surprise encounter with this lovely passion flower that was at the highpoint of its life next to the nature path I was walking along. Saw the fruits too!

While I was away, Shilah came by and helped me identify some of the flowers that I had listed under the 'unknown' category of this blog providing me with links to information on these plants. Many thanks Shilah and hope you will visit again!

Orchid

A pot of orchid given to me by a thoughtful friend ten days ago.

Today, it is even more beautiful with no sign of aging, wrinkling or fading. What a fantastic spray of orchids.

Plumeria Rubra Cultivar - Frangipani

Frangipani flowers after the rain has stopped. I was just fascinated by the droplets on the petals as if kept there by some magnetic force.