Blaze of Colour

 

These last few days, I've been going round snapping pictures of our "Bunga Kertas" ("Paper Flower") or Bougainvillaea.  It's the hot season and they're blooming along the roads on fences, hedges and in gardens making such colourful feasts for the eye!  The flowers are light and paper-thin, hence the name "Paper Flower".  They are easy to grow and come in a variety of colours.    

So brighten up your day by driving along a Bougainvillaea road, you won't regret it!

Crowning Glory

This lovely Angsana tree looks like it's sitting on top of one of the houses in our neighbourhood.  I took that snap a few days ago and this morning, I found to my surprise that all the yellow flowers have fallen and now form a golden carpet on the ground below!

 

Angsana trees usually bloom in March until April and signal the coming of Chinese All Souls Day (Qing Ming).  That's why their flowers are known as "Qing Ming Flowers".  I guess the local Council's road sweepers are going to have a busy time these two months clearing the roads of these flowers!

Nature Walkabout - 2

 

Another walk around the neighbourhood brought more discoveries.  There is quite an assortment of flowers growing in various nooks and corners, some photos below.

Commonly known as "Birds of Paradise"

Lovely yellow flowers - not sure of their name

Pink and white Frangipani

I also discovered that there are many other trees which have been identified by the local Council but the rains have prevented me from taking photos.  I shall have to do that another time!

Nature Walkabout

The recent rains have not made it possible to venture out but yesterday, the sun finally broke through and I was out for a brisk walk around the neighbourhood.  It was good to feel the sun on my skin (for the much needed Vit. D!) and breathe in some fresh air.  I love these walks as I get to see a variety of interesting flora, mainly wild flowers, growing on hedges and along the roadside.  I took a few photos which you can see below.

These lovely flowers with the long stamens remind me
of the hibiscus.  A different variety perhaps?

These pink blossoms are quite common in our
neighbourhood but I can't remember what they're called.

Small white flowers with a purple centre

Mimusops elengi

Wonder why I didn't notice this tree before.  It has been identified by the local Council as the Mimusops elengi, a medium-sized evergreen tree found in tropical forests of S.E.Asia.  According to my research, this tree is also known as Spanish cherry, medlar and bullet wood.  Its timber is valuable, the fruit is edible and it is used in traditional medicine.  I didn't see any fruits that morning, shall watch out for them on my future walks.

So am keeping my fingers crossed that there'll be more sunny days ahead.  Some of my neighbours have very colourful gardens, hope to snap more pictures next time!

Blossoms of Love

 You captivated me

Drenched in raindrops 

My mind singing in joy, 

At the sight of you, 

A fragrance around me, 

An untold emotion, 

Deep in my soul. 

Blossoms of love, 

That never fade, 

In ethereal beauty, 

Of a misty glow.

(Poet unknown)

I love jasmine and I'm lucky to have a small bush in my garden.  It was planted by Mum years ago and has amazingly thrived till now.  It really doesn't need much care, just occasional trimming and every now and then, it blooms beautifully, filling my garden with a fragrance so sweet.  I pluck the flowers and place them on my altar or I sometimes make a small garland for my altar pictures.  Thank you so much, blossoms of love!  You are indeed God's masterpiece!

Jasmine for my altar

Queen of Tropical Flowers

I recently came across this hedge bursting with red and orange hibiscus.  The Hibiscus Rosa-sinensis was declared by the Government as the country's national flower in July 1960.  According to my research, seven flowers - the rose, ylang ylang, jasmine, lotus, hibiscus, frangipani and bunga tanjung - were proposed but the hibiscus was chosen.  Dubbed the "Queen of Tropical Flowers", the flower has inspired the logos for many local events.  Viva la Hibiscus! 

Custard Apple

The custard apple, one of my favourite fruits.  True it takes a lot of patience to eat it because of its numerous seeds but its health benefits will make you bear it through!  It's full of vitamin C, anti-oxidants and other nutrients like potassium, Vitamin A, magnesium, to name a few.  The custard apple tree is small and sprightly and doesn't need much attention.

These photographs were taken at a nearby temple which also grows pineapples and pomegranates!

Flowers

  "In joy or sadness, flowers are our constant friends."

- Kakuzo Okakura

A kind neighbour has planted a bed of colourful flowers not far from our home.  Commonly known as "Japanese roses", these flowers are a joy to motorists passing by.  She has planted some other flowers as well, making this particular corner of the road very charming and pretty.

Whenever I drive past this corner, I am sure to look at the flowers and comment on how lovely they are.  When Mum was alive, I used to push her wheelchair to this spot in the mornings.  Mum was a lover of flowers and she would gaze in true joy and delight at the flowers blooming before her.

Flowers are probably one of the most wonderful creations God has ever made.  They have given inspiration to so many!

Here are some pics I took recently.  Unfortunately, maybe due to the rain, some of the flowers have disappeared.

Thanks, neighbour!  You'll never know the joy your flowers have given us, especially to one lovely old lady who once lived down the road.

 

Fred the Caterpillar

Fred lives in our garden and has beady black eyes and a fat green body.  He gorges himself on the various plants we have there - you could say he's on a life long "vegetarian" diet!  I read somewhere that caterpillars are rich in protein but if you ask me, I prefer to get my protein from other less wriggly sources!

Lizzie the Lizard

This is Lizzie, our friendly neighbourhood lizard who visits our garden every now and then.  On a sunny day, we can see her sunning herself near our hedge.  She must be at least three metres long!  In Hokkien, she is known as "See Kar Chua" (four legged snake).  She's quite shy really; at the sound of someone coming, she will quickly slip into the drain and disappear.  Sometimes I see her on the other side of the fence in our neighbour's garden.  My neighbour hasn't seen her so far and I bet she'll scream her head off when she does!  Have fun, Lizzie!

My Favourite Orange Flowers

I went for a stroll at the Penang Botanic Gardens the other morning. Being a weekday, it was quiet and as I walked with the cool breeze fanning my cheeks, I thought how nice it would be to live here surrounded by rolling hills, lush tropical rain forest, beautiful plants and flowers - all of which can be so inspiring.

I went in search of my favourite orange flowers and found them blooming profusely in the Formal Garden.

Known as "Bauhinia Kockiana", it is a free-flowing climber and blooms the whole year round. The orange and yellow flowers cascade in delightful clusters and are very pretty to look at.

Another interesting flower is that of the "Cannonball Tree" (as it is popularly called). Native to South America, the size of its fruit is similar to that of a cannon ball, hence the name. The flowers are strongly perfumed, have six petals and are maroon in colour.

The "Cannonball Tree"

I was most interested to learn that the Hindus revere the tree as sacred because the petals of the flowers resemble the hood of the Naga, a sacred snake, protecting a Shiva Lingam (the stigma).

If you have time, talk a walk in the Botanic Gardens. There is plenty to see, especially if you are a nature lover!

An Interesting Tree

I have always been fascinated by the tall palm at the back of my neighbour's garden. After quick reference to a book, I discovered that the palm is called "Fishtail Palm" or "Rabok" (in Malay), mainly because of the shape of its leaves which look like the fin or tail of a fish.

It has dense mop-like flower heads that cascade in a bundle from the top of the palm downwards. However, the fruit and plant itself can cause itching because of minute needle-like crystals found on it.

Our Bunga Raya

Whilst on a visit to Pantai Molek this afternoon, I saw these lovely Bunga Raya in a friend’s garden and also opposite her house. The two bushes at the side of the road were blazing with striking red flowers (first two pictures); unfortunately I could not take more pictures as a ferocious dog in a nearby house kept growling and barking at me! The ones in my friend’s garden were more of a pinkish shade and were of a different variety.

Incidentally, the Bunga Raya (or Hibiscus rosasinensis) was selected from six other flowers, namely the Kenanga Flower, Jasmine, Lotus, Rose, Cempaka Flower and Tanjung Bunga and declared National Flower Federation of Malaya on 28th July 1960. It celebrated its 50th anniversary as the National Flower of Malaysia last September.

Luscious Jackfruit

I saw these huge jackfruits ("langkah" as they are commonly called) in the market this morning. They had newly arrived and were being sold at RM12.00 per kilo.


According to Wiki, the fruit is the largest tree-borne fruit in the world, reaching 36 kg in weight and up to 90 cm long and 50 cm in diameter. I was interested to learn that it is the national fruit of Bangladesh.


Most of our jackfruit comes from Balik Pulau and Seberang Perai. The fruit seller kindly explained that I need not buy the whole fruit and that he could cut portions for me. Tempting as they may look, you won't catch me eating them! They have a reputation of being very "windy" and will unfortunately not be good for my tummy!


The fruit inside

Bunga Kantan

I came across these lovely Bunga Kantan (ginger flower) at the market this morning. As many will know, it is an essential ingredient for Nonya dishes such as Assam Laksa and Gulai Tumis (both curry dishes). They are usually sliced into half for cooking and give an exotic flavour to the dish! These flowers are mostly home grown and those I saw were being sold at RM1.00 each.

I remember one dish we used to make - Timbun Jum (Cucumber Salad) - slices of cucumber, Bunga Kantan, small onions, pounded red chillies all thrown together and topped with a dash of lime for extra zap!

Some people even use the flowers for floral arrangement as they are so pretty! This is how it looks like inside when halved.