Kew Gardens 17th Smile – Japanese Festival

As the seasons change – Kew Garden does too. We went to the Japanese Festival in Kew.

Japanese Gateway

God's beauty never ends.
We just need to take time to open our eyes to see it,
to feel it and to experience all it can be. 

Laura D Field

In the Temperate house we saw Art work

‘A thousand Springs’ from Chiharu Shiota.

5000 Haikus – in Japanese – referencing nature – suspended on red threads

while listening to beautiful music by a Japanese composer.

5000 Haiku suspended in a web of red threads

The Chalk Garden was a mixture of chalky English limestone and beautiful Japanese planting.

• 

• 

We saw colours with Bonsai Trees

I’ll leave you with a Japanese proverb

One who smiles 
rather than rages 
is always stronger.

Wishing everyone a great weekend !

How to have a lovely Day

Smile at strangers
Slow down
Say thank you
Give lots of compliments
Dress nicely
Wear perfume
Observe and listen
Be charming
Laugh
Wish others a lovely day

♥ Wishing you all a wonderful

and lovely Day ♥

Kew Gardens 16th Smile – shapes

Another trip to Kew Gardens – this time I found lovely different shapes in the plants. We walked through the rainforest, grasses and admired another beautiful open waterlily.

Never lose an opportunity
of seeing something beautiful,
for beauty is God's handwriting.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

God was very creative making wonderful shapes for us to admire.

• 

  Aloe – spiral

• 

  soft long thin grass in the wind

• 

  long – titan arum

• 

  just amazing….

We saw a fruit in different stages

God gave us eyes
to see the beauty of nature
and hearts 
to see the beauty in each other.

A meaningful life

Kew Gardens 15th Smile

This time in Kew Gardens I admired the flowers and learnt some Photography tips from my Photographer friend I went with.

I learnt to focus on the flower with a blurry background. This was even possible with my Mobile phone camera and I was so happy that this worked well.

Please click on the individual picture to enlarge it. I’m proud how the pictures came out.

This little fellow fell on my trousers while we had lunch under an Oak tree.

He was not even 1 cm long.

We passed a fascinating tree, a Maritime Pine which did not grow straight. The bark was smoother on one side and really rugged on the other.

Maritime Pine not growing straight, and view up

We stayed so long we nearly needed a lantern home….

A sweet friendship refreshes the soul. Proverbs 27:9

Every leaf is unique

Looking closer at an Agave at Kew Gardens, you can see clearly that every leaf has a unique pattern of the way it has grown from the inside.

The leaves have similar patterns but evey one is unique to its’ unfolding.

We are unique creatures, every one of us.

Be YOU.
Don't be someone else.
YOU are a unique individual.
Be proud... rock it loud.

Apolo Ohno

A Quick Break

….. a break with no internet …

That is what is on the agenda, after having worked rather hard lately.

Unfortunately I won’t be able to look at all posts, I will try on my phone though. 

I will be back in the cyber world soon  🙂

with a report of how much nothing I have done.

 

 

In the meantime I am hugging you all!

Declutter today

It is important that you declutter your home as we all know we keep too much.

Make space for the important things in your life.

Make space for things you really love and give you joy in life.

Decluttering emotionally is equally important.

Have enough space for the really important feelings and beliefs.

Seen on Facebook

Why not have a go today to get rid of negative beliefs,

negative thoughts and emotions.

Start fresh every day with positive thoughts and beliefs.

♥Have a wonderfully, positive day! ♥

Age

Age is of no importance unless you are a cheese.

Today I am cheesy  – it is an important day – my 60th Birthday.

So I collected some age related words and advice:

“Youth is happy because it has the capacity to see beauty. Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old.”
― Franz Kafka

Today is the oldest you’ve been and the youngest you’ll ever be again.

They’re called the golden years for a reason. Getting older has its perks. For one, you’re good at using what you’ve learned. This is called crystalized intelligence, and it keeps getting better, even when you’re 65 or 70.

Older people might control their emotions better, and focus more on how to make the most of life.

You probably know that exercise and diet are important when it comes to aging well. But there is something else you control that can help you along: a positive attitude.Research shows more and more that your approach to life may be just as important in making your “golden years” your best years.

Aging: It’s in Your Mind

The Power of Optimism

It’s difficult to know what comes first — the good health or the positive attitude.

One possible answer is they build on each other: A rosy outlook may help you  exercise more and eat better. And that in turn helps you stay hopeful and happy because you feel better. You may hear that called a “virtuous circle.”

Optimism has been linked to living longer.

Things you can do include:

•  Check yourself. If you’re having negative thoughts, pause and see whether there’s a better way to look at what’s bothering you.

•  Seek out humor and laughter

•  Make time for things that give you joy

•  Find positive people and hang out with them

With this in mind,

help yourself to some cake and Champagne to celebrate with me.

Cheers!

Blog-i-versary 9 years with WordPress

Today, 9th June, I am celebrating

9 years with you, my friends online.

This is me, 9 years old.

You have given me
a wonderful time,
smiles, 
happiness,
joy, 
information, 
inspiration,
thoughts,
and love.

I am grateful and I value everyone of you deeply.

Thank you for being with me for all this time and

Cheers to many more !