flowers – Walking without a donkey

Walking without a donkey - travels in Croatia

Zagreb 5 – the Botanic Gardens

For Nicky, my mum, from whom I learned to love plants and photography.

Location:

In the southern part of Zagreb´s lower town, it extends from the Miramarska road in the east to the Runjaninova street in the west, along the Mihanovićeva street and the Marulićev square in the west, with the rail embankment in the south.

Opening hours:

The Garden is principally open from 9 am till sunset, at the latest by 7 pm.
Monday & Tuesday: 9 am – 2.30 pm
Wednesday – Sunday: 9 am – 7 pm (5 pm*, 6 pm**, 4 pm***)

*Early spring visiting hours in March (till the first Wednesday after the summer time change)
** Early autumn visiting hours in October (till the first Wednesday after the winter time change)
*** Late autumn visiting hours in November (from the winter time change)

Giant waterlillies in the Victoria House.

The fragrance hit me as soon as I walked through the gates.

It was the contrast of the pink and black which attracted me.

Sunday afternoon couples strolled arm in arm.

Aagin, what co,our in these trailing beauties.

Mostly Croatians from what I could hear. No crowds or English.

From the yellow garden. Erysimum Golden Gem and Gazania rigens.

Peaceful.

Bird song all around me.

Textures of pink and bugundy. Amaranthus cruentus.

The end of the prickly pears on the cacti – I saw enormous ones near Valencia 2 years ago. Pountia vulgaris.

I was happy with this photo – Salviasclarea Turkestanica

Furry tendrils with the pagoda in the background.

Late afternoon – the sun setting by 5pm now.

The amazing organge Cyprus contrasting with the bridge.

I noticed a man with a shopping trolley. He settled himself and started to paint.

Meanwhile as I stand under the tree, individual leaves waft past my nose.

I like the dark bark covered in green moss.

The Botanicb Gardens, Zagreb – website.

There is some further information and extra photos here on Zagreb 4 blog.

Walking without a donkey - travels in England

The garden of the Geffrye Museum of the Home – London, England

A photo essay – July blooms

I just can’t seem to stop taking pictures of flowers! I have added links to a blog I have just discovered (London wlogger – we seem to like the same things) and other London gardens which will be sure to delight.

The garden is round the back and I visited when the rest of the museum was being renovated.

It is now open. Website.

Don’t miss this blog which has great shots of the front of the building and much more. Londonwlogger.com

Other physic gardens include Chelsea which had contemporary art too.

And of course Kew.

You might not know about this community garden hidden behind St Pancreas. Camley Street.

The Kyoto Garden has reopened.

Echinacea

The Hill Garden and Pergola Hampstead

London Plantology. She’s also into aikido so must be good!

Is your favourite here? If not, please do comment with one I don’t know about or link to your own London garden.

Always check out footways.london for pleasant paths to cross London, a network of quiet and interesting streets.

Please note that this museum has now been renamed Museum of the Home as it has been acknowledged that Geffrye was a slave trader and therefore not an appropriate person to name an inclusive museum after.

Walking without a donkey - travels in France

Nature pleases – Picardy 4

End of October 2018

Wu Chi – undifferentiated timelessness, the un-manifest aspect of the Tao. In peacock feathers from the garden birds.

I enjoyed teaching an introduction to Chi Gung for a group of Masters students (Greek, Dutch, American) from the Netherlands before I left. Their performances at Thursday’s showcase were stimulating: a two-hander addressing non-binary issues in an appropriately naïve style, and a quirky performed reading reminding me of the toymaker in Copélia.

View from the garden. It was colder in the final days, but I still did T’ai Chi there in the morning sun.

Delicate ivy ‘drawings’ on the wall.

Silver birch bark – surely the origin of the design of camouflage clothing!

Autumn leaf burning by E. I sat and watched the burning embers and the small flames lick as the sky darkened. The fire was still warm in the morning.

The walk back to the station took me past Halloween house decorations, the luminous sumac tree, and a village hall (last time the gate was shut and I couldn’t see in, so this time I crept up and peered in the window – they were all playing cards in there!). Then there were two furry friendly (hungry?) donkeys who I was instructed not to feed, and several people who kindly stopped to offer me a lift, which I declined so I could walk.

Sumac tree.

The WW1 memorial for the dead soldiers, significant given that the topic of my studies is death.

German troops occupied these small villages between 19 14-18. Britain helped out. There are information boards all along the roads of this area of Picardy with photos of these times.

Strips of roots growing across the bottom of the tree.

A whorl of bark.

Flowers found at ground level on the pavement.

Outside the old school is this lovely sundial with the inscription La grive aux raisins (thrush with grapes is a delicacy and also the name of the local newsletter) and on the gate of the village room.

View from the train to Reims.

Another sundial, a giant one in Reims lit up in the night. Cadrans Solaire de la Marne, also connected to WW1 as the River Marne, site of the battles of 1914 and 1918 where the German advancements were halted.

From the back of a toilet door at Le Maryland bar in Reims – not so very respectful of our monarch!

This bar is near the Cathedral and I do not recommend it as it was full of smokers and smoke, and with men making not so-funny remarks. I didn’t feel comfortable there on my own.

Sculpture by Armelle Blary https://armelleblary.com in a window in Reims – inspired by the work of Louise Bouregeois I would guess.

Les bunnies. At the home of Julie Martin who was my bla bla car driver 10 days before and who kindly invited me to stay on my return. Together with her lovely flatmate, Marie, I was cooked two sorts of crêpes which were delicious.

Many thanks to them for their hopitality. Check out their innovate business: Be Vegetal My Friend which offers all sorts of workshops with plants and flowers, plus you can see Julie demonstrating what she does, and go there to get designs for your wedding or event.