HELLO ROSELLE

It starts off with a flower...

... to fruits

Anything to do with beauty and anti-ageing earn my marks especially with a pretty sweet name like Roselle.  I don't think anyone would mind being called Roselle.

Roselle leaf and fruits

So if you haven’t heard, Roselle is a wonderful medicinal plant that bears fruits chock full of vitamins and antioxidants. 

Fleshy calyxes

 

Seed pods

Do bear in mind that although this plant carries some health and beauty benefits, it is not suitable for those with low blood pressure and like any other things / products, it should be taken in moderation.   

Having said that, if you’re a fan of sugar laden drinks /colas and you pity your waistline, Roselle tea is the perfect perk me up alternative!  It’s fabulous as a thirst quencher.

Making that cup of tea is so simple.  Tear of the calyxes, wash, put them in a cup and pour boiling water over them.  When I first started making Roselle tea, I added water and boiled the calyxes for a few minutes.  The water turned a fiery red and tasted a bit tart so I added in some honey.  However having now acquired the taste, I prefer to pour boiling water onto the calyxes, let it seep for a few minutes and drink it as it is.  On days that I crave for a sweet drink, I’ll add a dollop of honey to it.  Whichever way you choose, it’s delicious on its own.  Enjoy it hot, chill or add ice to your Roselle tea.

Sow some seeds in a pot or scatter some in your backyard.  Imagine the convenience of plucking this spike like fruits as and when you feel like having a cuppa!  When I plant and harvest enough Roselle fruits, I'll be on my way to making jams too. 

Oh and to share a little piece of news from the grapevine...  Heard that because Roselle tea is high in Vitamin C content, it is supposedly better than red wine in warding off free radicals in the skin.  So cheers to smooth skin and bye to winkles!  

Okay, bye bye to fewer winkles.

MEET OUR FRIENDS

Being in the country side / garden is the best introduction to nature that anyone can get especially for city dwellers who are confined to the walls around them. 

Friends are never lacking in the garden; here they come and go.

 

Taking a break from the heat

Feeling on top of the world

Home is a flower pot

  

Keeping my balance is easy when they happen to be my favourite food

Lots more of other creatures / insects that probably cannot be counted even with your fingers and toes. 

The insects can be such a pest gnawing on their favourite leaves or flowers but they too need to eat in order to survive.  As long as the destruction is minimal I learn to shut an eye and be forgiving.   

SHARING A PINCH OF JOY!

Here's a little story...

These are not paintings but a series of real flower shots which are very special to me.  

I was given this cluster of a rare stunning orange bloom (was told there's only one tree on this island) recently by an islander in the compound of a temple.  I just had to take some shots there and then!  There was a red table nearby and as much as I love colours.... well, red and orange don't seem like the best combination.  So I found myself emptying my nylon bag and using that as a backdrop for these shots, much to the amusement of the islander who must have thought I was a little craycray.  Let's pretend you didn't see the creases in the background ;)

The beautiful shade  of orange flowers speckled with those black seeds were so mesmerizing.  I was so fascinated by them and completely blown!  

I like to think that these are my lucky charm because today I received an email to advise that this print has been included in the Society6 Shop (http://society6.com/products/STUNNING-ORANGE-BLOOMS_Print where these pictures will be reproduced as art or framed art prints and also printed onto other merchandises.  

Just in case you're wondering what's on Society6 Shop... 

"The artwork on Society6 is created by hundreds of thousands of artists from around the world."

When you buy a product from Society6, we produce it using only the highest quality materials, and ship it to you on behalf of the artist.
  

Gosh! So am I an artist?  No because I can't draw.  Many years ago during a charade game (I've given up playing them, they only embarrass me...), I picked up a card with the word goldfish on it but you just imagine how I drew the fish because my team mates screamed in unison "guppy!... guppy!" to my horror.  If given a choice by the nice people behind Society6, I would consider myself more of a photographer because what I basically do is upload photos I take onto various products. (No, I don't use photoshop.  You get what you see) However what I like about this is although my products are available in my shop on Society6, in reality I do not own a brick and mortar shop where rental can be so exorbitant.  Apart from uploading photos and promoting my products which I am lagging far far behind, there is nothing else that I have to do as everything else is taken care off by Society6 (just in case anyone else out there wants to be an artist too).  Basically I get 10% of the sale price off all merchandise (except for art prints) which barely is enough for me to buy a packet of seeds but hey I am enjoying what I do ie. taking pretty pictures and that is what matters most.

Coming back to where I stopped, so after some detective work, I found out the common and botanical name for these flowers.  They're the flowers from the Black Pearl Tree, also known as Majidea Zanguebarica.  What a pretty mouthful!

LEMON TREE... VERY PRETTY

Can you blame me for thinking that these lemons were sweet?

I cut a slice for myself like how I would cut an orange.  I sank my teeth and sucked in the juice.  Gosh... for a moment I saw twinkling stars!!  

Okay so I've been living under the rocks.  Google told me this: 

Meyer lemons are not actually sweet; they are just milder than most other lemons.  The juice won't pucker you up if you taste it straight. 

Funny to think that I gave three of them away and said "Try these lemons, they're slightly expensive but can you just imagine... SWEEEEET lemons!"  You should hear the glee in my voice.

Limoneira, would you consider changing the bags and replace that sweet word?  How about "Sweeter than normal lemons?" or "Less sour lemons?"

 

The fruit is heavy and juicier than that of a grocery store lemon.  It makes delicious lemon meringue pie and once you fall in love with this variety of lemon, you will certainly want to make Meyer lemon olive oil. 

Generally normal lemons cost $0.55 each or $1.35 for three. Meyer ones are $6.95 in a cute cheery bag of six and off course I can make delicious lemon meringue pie or Meyer lemon olive oil. Those store brought ones didn't tell me what I could do with their lemons apart from their lemons being cheaper.

Remember the Lemon Tree lyrics "Lemon tree very pretty...." Well time I plant these lemon seeds.  If they turn out sour, at least the trees look pretty.

LOTS & LOTS OF BULBS

A day of re-potting bulbs.

Spotted some volunteer stems under the shade of a tree.  Nature has her way of springing surprises.

Grabbed a shovel and out came these babies. 

Hopefully soon there'll be plenty of lush lillies; our tables are waiting to welcome them.  For now they'll join their graceful family in the garden.

I just love growing flowers and nothing like a garden filled with colourful blooms and butterflies flirting from bloom to bloom. 

SHHHH.... I HAVE A SECRET GARDEN!

Coming from a land-scarce city where it is common to be surrounded by tall skyscrapers, being able to spend time in MSG and potter around is truly a blessing.  

Home is actually an apartment on the highest level where the balcony because of its awkward shell shaped window does not offer much benefit to any plants, so it has been turned into a cosy corner which is actually one of my favourite space.  Flowering plants are housed in a row or rather two rows outside the corridor overlooking the main entrance but limited to the "most cherished, most important" ones.  Hence tomato or chillie plants should give up the idea of ever getting a space here.

I count myself lucky to have this opportunity to have a little secret garden that I fondly call MSG for short although I'm not too fond of people using monosodium glutamate in their cooking. 

MSG overlooks the sea and is right in the heart of this charming island where you can watch every arriving or departing boat.  The island is home to less than 50 people as most of the population have moved out to stay in the city due to family or work commitments.

However it's not all quiet.  On weekends hundreds and sometimes thousands of people throng the island for picnic, cycling or even fishing.  There is even a resort that lets out rooms and it is also home to many bike rentals shops; seafood restaurants and grocery stores.  

I would love to be at MSG, all day long every day but commitment in the city does not give me the privileges.  So on days that I am in MSG, I maximize my time there.  In order to take advantage of every single minute that I am there, I even take to preparing a "things to do" list before my every visit.   

Like a working parent, sometimes you miss your child's milestone like his / her first crawl, first steps, etc.   I am no exception.  Sometimes I missed out on the first bloom of a flowering plant or I get there just to witness the caterpillar about to finish off the last leaf of a presumably tasty plant, no kidding!

I gladly accept with much gratitude when people say I am lucky to have a garden to grow stuff because I truly am lucky for this great opportunity.

 

IT ALL BEGINS AGAIN...

I can't be more grateful for this opportunity ie. a place which is a stone throw from the jetty that overlooks the sea and beyond.  Did I mention there's a reasonably sized garden too and I'm a huge fan of gardening?

Would you not like a garden with a view like this?

You can say I fell head over heels in love the first time I saw it and my knees went weak with excitement.  Being a city girl and totally deprived of a proper garden, here was an opportunity that literally swam right before my very eyes! It was just too good to be true but YES... I now have my own little garden!

Even flowers love seaview

Not sure how long this place will remain but as long as it's still standing here I will live my dream of turning it into a fairy garden on borrowed land and borrowed time.

Butterfly loves it here too