Taking a break

Sometimes we need to shift our focal points
Go back a little, then some more
Go forward a little and then some more
Get used to some blurry pictures
before coming back to focus again
Back and forth is necessary
to keep the eyes working
and in seeking new surprises
Life is not always as sharp as we wish for
Letting go of the goal
is just redefining
Not so bad at all

Flowers for today

I have this hibiscus specie in my garden but alas it is not thriving as beautifully as this one in someone else's garden. One day perhaps when I am more inclined towards gardening, I will have blooms as fresh and exciting as these flowers in my own backyard.

These yellow flowers are actually very small - the size of a one-dollar coin. I found them growing in a flower-bed outside someone's house looking rather neglected.

Then by the fence of another gardener, I saw these flowers.

That's all folks!

Couroupita guianensis - Cannonball tree

The fragrance from these flowers is heavenly - so light and pure. This morning, the cannonball trees in West Coast Park were laden with the anemone-like flowers and mature fruits. It has been quite a while since I last saw these flowers. The sun was shining brightly but there was a lovely breeze blowing as the park is right next to the sea. Seeing these flowers made me forget about the scorching rays of the sun as I only wanted to capture their beauty so that I can share them with more people here.

Dillenia philippinensis - Philippines simpoh

I like the way the petals lay
as if nothing in the world matters
except the importance of rest

and a freedom from worldly fetters

A time to breathe at last
not for others but for self
A time to take in what is best
to regain one's precious health

Oh to bask in the sun
feeling life in every cell
joy in simple pleasures
and for a while all is well

This must be life at its ideal
if only it could be stretched to maximum
and every day is a brand new day
filled with laid-back goodness ad infinitum

If it is only wishful thinking
or mindless dreaming
Let it be, let it be
Once in a while we need to feel free

Alpinia purpurata - 'Double Red' (紫山姜- zi3 shan1 jiang1)

Hands
outstretched
give a warm welcome
signal gladness, joy and warmth

Communicate feelings of here and now
filled with love and kindness
Touched
Heart.

Family: Zingiberaceae

Clerodendrum paniculatum - Pagoda Flower (佛塔花- fo1 ta3 hua1)

Rainy days are cool but I prefer sunny weather. The heat may be intolerable at times, the humidity a killer. Nothing beats brightness to chase away the blues. Today has been gloomy and these leaning pagoda flowers by the lily pond in the Singapore Botanic Gardens taken one lovely Sunday morning never fail to cheer up a blog.

Tradescantia spathacea - oysterplant

Many years ago, I had a neighbour who was a housewife with grown-up children. She was alone most of the time cleaning, washing and scrubbing. She was a cheerful woman with whom I had many over-the-fence conversations with. That was when I got to use my limited proficiency in Hokkien and Mandarin and she tried hard with what she knew of Cantonese. I do miss her!She was a good gardener nurturing papaya trees, guava trees and an assortment of plants in her backyard. She also grew these plants that I now know as oysterplant as well as by a few other common names. Seeing these plants again made me think of her, this dear woman who never grumbled as she laboured daily to keep the house clean as well as to cook for her family.She moved away several years ago but memories of her garden and her cheerfulness remain.

Common Names: oysterplant, Moses-in-the-cradle, boatlily, Moses-in-a-boat,

Family: Commelinaceae (spiderwort Family)

Oleander flowers

You will see these flowering shrubs lining some of our roads. They are very pretty to look at but all parts of it are pretty poisonous.

Shades of purple

Time passed in a whirl
For this weekend it is purple
in shades dark and light
A colour that is somehow just right!

Beach Morning Glory - Ipomoea pes-caprae

Periwinkle

Jacaranda filicifolia

Thunbergia erecta

Curcuma

Ginger - Costus sp

A flower fairy dabbled with paints
from nature's store of colours
She lined the petals with brown and orange
then flew away in search of others
to light and delight
our senses with her artistic endeavours

I believe, from my reference of the 1001 Garden Plants in Singapore, that this flower belongs to the Costus malortieanus.