The Secret Garden

Life is about finding our way.

I feel a heart connection to this first photo because it represents the openings in my life,

the obstacles I may encounter

and the unknown path on which I am moving forward.

It is also about accepting the experiences I am living at this moment, without wanting them to be different,

knowing that they are the learning blocks of life and are there for a reason.

Since there needs to be only one chosen photo for this Heart-Connection monthly get-together,

I offer this first image which represents all that is written here and the other images

 are simply the same subject taken from 

a different angle.

Sometimes there are obstacles we have to go around

We never know what is round the next corner

and we linger awhile and breathe in every detail of this moment,

remembering...

This is where I am

Now.

Grand Finale

Perfectly poised

Iridescence

Colour coordination

Caramel and cream....

Dreamy blue

Tangerine delight

Velvety landing

... and this ends our visits to the beautiful Iris-Gardens

A messenger-goddess

Iris

The word is of Greek origin and means rainbow.

In Greek mythology, Iris was a messenger-goddess who rode rainbows between heaven and earth to deliver messages from Olympus.

Mount Olympus is the highest mountain in Greece.

In mythology, Mount Olympus is the dwelling place of the chief god Zeus.

Also, the foremost gods of the Greek pantheon have their palaces at the summit.

It is here that the gods assemble to consume nectar and ambrosia ("immortal"), the substances which reinforce their immortality.

According to the myth, the top of Olympus, which is covered in snow and hidden in the clouds,

reaches all the way into the aether.

Aether or ether is energy

and here it means "pure fresh air" or "clear sky"

imagined in Greek mythology to be the pure essence where the Gods lived and which they breathed.

There are so many fascinating stories to tell about the Iris flower whose very name conjures up

tales of rainbows and messenger-goddesses and palaces on high mountain summits.

Don't you love it?

Note: It was a windy day at the Iris-Gardens , but that fuzzy look on the last photo was just me having fun with special effects! This one is called "camouflage" and gives a painted look.

Golden Loveliness

Basking in the sun

and continuing the visit to the Iris Gardens

Feasting my eyes on every frill and curve

Protected from the wind

Gorgeous from all sides and posing in a Fleur-de-lis shape.

Fleur-de-lis means Lily Flower or Iris.

This flower was particularly associated with the French monarchy

 and it remains an enduring symbol of France today.

Perfhaps my favourite for today, pert and pretty in the sun, swaying slightly in a gentle breeze

in a sea of green stalks and poetic golden sisters.

Tomorrow there will be a change of colour

In the meantime, drink in all the golden loveliness!

Iris Blooms

Last week, I visited the most beautiful Iris Gardens

 in the grounds of a castle not too far from where I live. 

Jardins des Iris

These white and purple stripey blooms were so stunning

and I had to include all of them !

The sun played hide and seek with the clouds throughout the whole of my visit and there was a mean wind blowing and making all the plants tremble and sway enormously!

I did manage to get some shots that weren't blurred though!

I think that I will add them bit by bit over a few days!

Breakfast by the lake

One of my favourite treats in the warm season is to have breakfast down by the lake.

The tranquility of the water, the graceful sailing boats gliding by

and, a little dot in the distance in the middle of the picture, watching

the old steam boats stop at the various ports

in Switzerland and  neighbouring France.

A delicious choice of assorted bakery

and a peach juice

and a double espresso coffee with a perfect frothy topping!

Lifting up our eyes, we saw a steam boat go by from our table.

Then I noticed this sweet little fellow sitting on a chair near our table, obviously waiting for crumbs!

Some fluttering and chirping brought my eyes back to my own breakfast being dive-bombed by a greedy little trio! A quick photo and then a mad wave of my napkin to scare away the cheeky sparrows!

A long walk along the lake front to take advantage of the lovely weather conditions and enjoy the view.

That little sailing boat turned round at the same time as us and we saw a rowing boat coming

into view with a very fit-looking crew manning the oars!

Yes, having breakfast down by the lake

is one of my favourite things!

An important note:

If you click on each photo, they will become bigger and fill your screen.

This option had not been working for a couple of months. I am happy to see that the photos can now be enlarged again on everyone's blogs, including this one!

The Song of the Rose Fairy

"Best and dearest flower that grows,

Perfect both to see and smell;

Words can never, never tell

Half the beauty of a Rose...

Buds that open to disclose

Fold on fold of purest white,

Lovely pink,

or red that glows

Deep, sweet-scented. What delight

To be Fairy of the Rose."

Poem by Cicely Mary Barker

Laburnum

Going for an evening walk in my neighbourhood

I saw this beautiful laburnum tree with its sunny hanging flowers blowing gently in the evening breeze.

The blue sky glinted through little spaces in the leaves

and the flowers danced to the music of the wind.

Last year's seedpods had opened up and the seeds were ready to drop to the ground

Suddenly, the wind became stronger and the green leaves and the yellow flowers became a glorious blur of colour letting in the blue spaces of the sky to make everything sparkle and glow -

and the seed pods went with the flow in the direction of the wind.

Such a pretty shaped flower.

The Laburnum is of the Papilionacea family,

leguminous plants whose flowers have butterfly-shaped corollas.

"Papillon" is French for butterfly.

Lilac time

Lilac is the perfume of the month of May

and may your day be full of sunshine and flowers!

Photo-Heart Connection: April

I seem to have a deep connection to the sky and to water

two elements that attract my attention so often.

The sky is the air that I breathe 

and with each deep breath,

my thoughts disappear and are carried away

like clouds floating away out of my line of vision

and I am left

in a blissful state of

beingness.

So totally in the moment

that time stands still.

Nothing else exists

but that moment.

Water has many moods according to the wind and the seasons.

The calm water in this picture reminds me to go with the flow of life

to be inspired by the stillness

to observe the reflections

and to let go of the mind.

As I observed this scene, my attention was drawn to a small island

on the far side of this large pond

where some light green reeds were growing 

and I couldn't not include what I saw here

I will show you

and I feel you may agree!

Mother duck was taking her babies for a swim and was heading

for an island in the water to take them to safety.

I zoomed in on the little family

and here they all are swimming in the glorious green reflection of the reeds.

 A heart-connection indeed for the very end of this month of April.