~ Adventures in Hua Hin, Thailand – Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park ~

Continuing with our week in Hua Hin, today we set off for the wetlands in a nearby national park. We had missed out on the abundant lotus flowers blooming but were hoping to see some birdlife.

This national park is surrounded by towering majestic limestone mountains. There is also a kilometre long boardwalk to view the surroundings or you can hire a boatman and his boat, which we did.

The first thing I noticed was the complete silence with maybe the occasional bird call. You are immediately struck by the serenity and peace here.

The birds were there of course, hidden by the long grasses so it was difficult for me to take any decent shots.

It was a hard job for our tiller man to navigate through the reeds. Going slow or fast or stopping completely to untangle the propellor. He did need to get out a few times to push us through!

The photos below are the best of the bunch. It was tricky trying to focus, especially when Mr. Tiller only briefly slowed down.

Gliding through the reedy waters and looking out for the birds was a great way to spend an afternoon. We were on the boat for around 45 minutes and our backsides were getting quite numb.

A pagoda to sit and relax and watch for wildlife

This is a tour well worth taking, reasonably priced and well organised.

After this we stopped at a small place for iced coffee. Although try as I might I find iced coffee too bitter for my liking.

Behind the kiosk there was a large cactus display showing some very quirky and colourful blooms.

A Gallery of Cacti

If you’re ever in Hua Hin, I highly recommend setting aside a day for this amazing outing. It’s a wonderful escape from a day at the beach.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 VE Day 2025: Street Parties and Community Spirit 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

During our stay in the UK this year, England celebrated VE Day in May.

VE Day, which stands for Victory in Europe Day, is celebrated on May 8th to commemorate the formal acceptance by the Allies of Germany’s unconditional surrender, marking the end of World War II in Europe. This year, 2025, marks the 80th anniversary of VE Day.

It was a public holiday and the councils across the country were given a budget for a street party. The streets were allowed to be closed off and money given for bunting.

The area where my brother lives had a street party and all the houses brought a plate of food to share. It was a bitterly cold day but that didn’t deter anyone. Much fun was had by all and eventually carried on in someone’s house.

A red letter day for all!

On a visit to my mum later that week we walked through the local church grounds and saw a wonderful memorial.

Posted for Becky’s Red Squares.

~ A Purplicious Post ~

It’s time for Sunday Stills Monthly colour challenge from Terri. Not just purple but also quartz, diamond or crystal.

This is my gallery of purples. A random selection from the archives.

Embracing the beauty of the purple hue

The above photo was taken many years ago, I actually can’t remember when it’s been so long since we visited Brisbane.

Have a great week!

~ Hong Kong – Arts and Flowers ~

The annual flower show was on while we were in Hong Kong recently and when we arrived we were ushered in promptly through the free gate. There are some benefits to being a senior! The crowds were out in force, bus tours from old people’s homes and also school tours. People waited patiently in line to have a photo in front of the spectacular displays.

The theme for 2024 was “Floral Joy Around Town” and attracted more than 200 exhibits from local and mainland horticultural societies. The colourful Angelonia was the feature flower.

“Flowers don’t tell, they show.” – Stephanie Skeem

It was held in Victoria Park, named after Queen Victoria.

The sheer variety of flowers was overwhelming. Some were so intricate and would have taken hours to put together.

There were classic designs and fun exhibits. Something for everyone to admire.

The Art of Ikenobo

“Though we pursue an economic value in life, it is in admiring beauty and creating things that we enrich the ground of our mind.” – Senno

The art of Ikenobo dates back to the 15th Century and was founded by the Buddhist Monk Senno. Japanese people like to give deeper meaning to flower arranging and prefer them upright rather than casually placed.

There is an elegance and simplicity to these designs that bely the hard work that goes into creating them.

After leaving here we went back across the harbour and walked along the sea front to our hotel. On the way we noticed yet another new shopping mall and popped in for a look around. We were astounded by the sheer size of it, not just that but the fabulous art works on display, not something you would normally find in a shopping centre. Of course there were the normal high end designer shops and high class restaurants but I think most people were there to have a look at everything else on display. We were wondering how these shops make any money because most were empty.

K11 Musea

Sculpture Garden on the 6th floor

Looking up inside K11

This is a place I will definitely be going back to because I realise we missed so much of the fantastic artwork. It won’t be to shop for sure!

Goodbye March, hello April

Linking to Second Wind Leisure for Urban
Natalie for PPAC

🌺 A Visit to Monet’s House and Gardens, Giverny 🌺

Day Two

My friends had planned a day out of Paris today to see the house and gardens of Monet. It would take around 90 minutes to get there by metro and overground train. Once off the train there is a shuttle bus that takes you directly to the house and gardens. As there was a queue to enter we decided on lunch first. There were many places to choose and all looked so quaint. We settled on one by the entrance and I had the largest omelette, cannot imagine how many eggs were used.

‘My garden is my most beautiful masterpiece. I can only draw what I see. Everything I have earned has gone into these gardens. It took me time to understand my waterlilies.“

Monet’s House

Claude Monet lived in his house in Giverny for forty-three years, from 1883 to 1926. You can see and feel his passion for gardening as you walk through the beautifully planned gardens and especially the water gardens.
The windows of the house all look out onto the garden and I could imagine sitting there with a summer breeze gazing out onto this spectacular array of colour.

Looking Out

Looking In

Exquisitely decorated rooms, my favourite was the kitchen with the blue tiled fireplace.

After we had wandered through the house we ventured out into the gardens and down to the water gardens.

“I am following Nature without being able to grasp her… I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers.“

I must have flowers. Always and always. Water Lilies’ is an extension of my life. Without the water the lilies cannot live, as I am without art.

“The richness I achieve comes from nature, the source of my inspiration”

Finishing up in the gardens we had a wander through the village just outside the grounds. We saw some beautiful ivy clad houses, including the mayor’s. There were many art galleries as you would expect displaying all of Monet’s works.

The famous Hotel Baudy, once a humble grocers and cafe owned by Angelina and Gaston Baudy. In 1886 Willard Metcalfe, a young American painter living in Paris, came looking for accommodation but was turned away by Mrs. Baudy as she only had the one bed. Many months later he returned with a group of artists and Mr. and Mrs. Baudy gave up their house and stayed with a neighbour. Realising they had a new potential business on their hands they turned their house into a hotel. Over the years this hotel housed many famous painters such as Paul Cézanne and Pierre-Auguste Renoir.

We had an incredible day here and I’m so glad my friend made the suggestion. It wasn’t something that was on my agenda and was a wonderful surprise.

~ Balinese Flowers ~ #WalkingSquares

I’ve recently spent a week in Bali with my family and these are just a few of the photos I took while walking around the resort.

Posted for Becky’s Walking Squares

Shades of White for August – CMMC

Cee’s Midweek Madness Challenge – White or Off White

**On the steps of Gaia Lighthouse, Macau**

**From a bouquet of flowers** – **FOTD**

I used the Ribbet App to frame them in white, giving them more definition.

💐 Floral Displays around the World 💐

A new Sunday challenge for me – Sunday Stills hosted by Terri – this week the theme is Fabulous Florals.

“A flower does not think of competing with the flower next to it. It just blooms.” – Zen Shin

Birthday Bouquets

Florist shops from China and Japan

The beautiful Gardens by the Bay, Singapore

A few years ago there were display stalls in our local shopping centre with a device where you could slot your own phone in to take a selfie. Ingenious!

Floral mural in a restaurant in Edinburgh

~November in Review ~

Taking a look back at my November. Another month gone past in a flash and Christmas is now just a few weeks away. Here are some of my memories of November.

We started off the month with a little trip to Dunsborough which I’ve already posted about.

“Pull up a Seat“

In the middle of November we had a day’s outing to a winery in the Chittering Valley to an event called “A Taste of Chittering” held at Nesci Winery with some good friends. The only thing that spoiled a lovely day was the masses of flies! We hardly dared open out mouths.

Don’t these two lovely ladies look cute as gumnuts. They are so talented walking around all afternoon like that.

🍷 We made some time for some tasting after lunch 🍷

The fourth Thursday of every month is when we hold our Bookclub meeting. The November bookclub is the last of the year and our Christmas get together. This year we gathered at a house overlooking the ocean. We had a fabulous lunch and Mango Daquiries with a great discussion of the book.

🌺 My November Garden 🌺

Now the Summer has finally arrived I love to sit out for my happy hour 🍹 and listen to the different birds that congregate in my neighbour’s tree. From Kookaburras to Rainbow Lorikeets, Willy Wagtails and Parrots, not all at once of course. My jasmine is out and also the gardenias are in full bloom and the garden smells divine.

I’m now looking forward to a few parties in the coming weeks and tomorrow the tree 🎄 goes up with some help from my little elf.

How was your November?