REBECCA ARTHUR PHOTOGRAPHY

The Current garden thrill - My purple iris!

5/11/2019

Ah! It's spring! The weather is glorious and the garden calls but, unfortunately, there is much work to be done. This means that I spend more time than I would like sitting at my computer and wistfully counting the hours until I can get back out there. Thankfully, it's a relatively easy time of year as the garden doesn't really need me and I'm reaping the rewards of months of hard work. Still, I wish I had more time just to sit out there and enjoy it. (Who doesn't! (^.~))

There are lots of flowers blooming out in the garden right now but the current garden thrill has to be my purple iris. I have several varieties of iris but I bought this one last year hoping to add some colour to my small collection. Goodness, did it ever! I knew it was going to be purple, of course, but I had no idea it would be so beautiful. Such a lovely surprise! Thank you, purple iris!

(As for the others, not a single iris bloomed this year which is most curious. I gave them all the same treatment and they all look healthy but there's not a bloom in sight. I'd love to hear from you if you have any suggestions or advice.)

(Click on the thumbnail for the full image.)

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The Joys of Winter

5/4/2019

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Yes, I know it's spring. Actually, it feels more like summer! Today was a beautiful sunny day, +27C, and the humidity was low. A perfect Canadian summer day if there ever was one - expect that I live in Osaka and summer will not arrive for some time yet. Soon it will be stinking hot and humid and I will be wishing for cooler days such as these...

But I digress! Despite the warmth, today I'm thinking about winter. The joys of winter, to be exact. I've been looking at the photos I took In February when I returned to Canada to spend some time with my family. I hadn't spent a winter in Canada in decades and I had forgotten how beautiful winter could be! The blue sky! The snow! The hoar frost! The birds! The deer! It was winter overload and I loved all of it. Even the record-breaking cold couldn't dampen my enthusiasm. My family just shook their heads and rolled their eyes...

Okay, so I went a bit a balmy but I do have evidence - minus the cold, of course!

Enjoy! (^.^)/

(Click on the thumbnail to see the full image.)

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Peonies!

5/1/2019

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It's Golden Week in Japan and the whole country is on holiday. Golden Week is a collection of 4 national holidays all within a one-week period and many companies and business close for the duration. This year an additional holiday has been added to celebrate the beginning of Reiwa, a new era for a new emperor. For many, this means a total of 10 days off and the news has been full of stories about cranky people who don't know what to do with all their time off.

Well, it's not a problem in this household! We've been running errands, spring cleaning (hello, clean curtains!), and doing odd jobs around the house. They are mostly things that don't get done during the usual weekly routine so it feels great to check them off the to-do list.

Of course, we've also managed to get out a bit. We usually stick close to home during Golden Week because traffic tends to be horrific but on Sunday we took a chance. We spent most of the day in Kyoto (light traffic both ways) and dropped by Kyoto Botanical Garden in the early afternoon to see what there was to see.

As usual, I made a beeline for the native plants garden but as we wandered through the area we could see very colorful flowers off in the distance. Roses? No! Peonies! That area of the garden included many peony varieties and it was a riotous collection of colours and shapes. Most surprising was the size - some were larger than dinner plates! I had no idea peonies could grow to be so large! Ah, such gorgeous flowers!

I so enjoyed the unexpected treat and returned home determined to grow more peonies. Okay, I'll confess. I only have one peony plant at present, and it has only bloomed for me once. That was last year after 5 years of continued efforts. (The secret was more fertilizer.) Regardless, I am determined! I need more peonies in my life!

Here are some of the beauties I saw at the Kyoto Botanical Garden. Perhaps you need more peonies in your life as well? (^.~)

(Click on the thumbnail to see the full image.)

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It has arrived! \(^.^)/

4/16/2019

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The new computer has arrived and it's a joy to behold! Setting up is proceeding smoothly but it will take a little more time, I'm afraid.

So, until I'm up and running as usual, here is a photo from several years ago. It was taken one beautiful April evening while cherry blossom viewing along the river in Osaka.

Ah, April is such a lovely month here. I never get enough of cherry blossom viewing. Who does?

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Yes, it's been A Little quiet around here...

4/5/2019

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If you've been thinking it's been a little quiet around here lately, you'd be right.

To be honest, I've been a little under the weather. I'm recovering from a wicked cough and my energy level has been somewhat lower than usual these past few weeks.

However, it actually has very little to do with me and everything to do with my computer. I love my computer but it's almost 10 years old - an antique in computer years - and it has become increasing difficult to edit and share photos without the program crashing or taking ridiculous amounts of time to do routine tasks. (And yes, I've spent a lot of time and energy trying to sort things out. No luck at all!)

So, the inevitable has arrived. My beloved computer has to be replaced. The process has started but it will take a week or two to get the new computer set up and running as it should.

Until then I've decided to take a short break. This shouldn't take long and I'll be back soon. I've taken a lot of photos in the past 2 months and can't wait to share them with you. A new computer will make all the difference! Yahoo!

Until then! (^.^)/
Rebecca

(This was taken last week in a local park. I had to restart the editing process several times due to program crashes but finally had success today.)

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The Current garden thrill - My purple iris!

The Joys of Winter

Peonies!

It has arrived! \(^.^)/

Yes, it's been A Little quiet around here...

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