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| Ceramic container bought in Tokyo in April but sent by mail. Recently arrived and had to be used. Acacia aphyla and tulips |
Hello all,
I've just returned from the tropics. Sam and I took a
short but much needed break and headed for the warmth of tropical Queensland.
We spent six glorious days in Port Douglas where the weather is absolutely
perfect with warm days and balmy nights. A marked difference from cold and
miserable Melbourne.
Tapeinochilos ananassae, the spiral ginger plant, blow, would be great for ikebana. Its stems grow in a spiral pattern with the leaves on the outer side of the curve. Nature's work of art.
As if the lush tropical vegetation around the resort was not enough to make this poor ikebanist's heart beat faster, I had to come across this pile of 'rubbish' on the lawn. As I stood looking at the various dry palm fronds, my mind went into overdrive - Oh, the things I could do! My 'beloved' had to gently drag me away.
I came across the flower, in the photo below, growing
outside a shop and was fascinated with it. I stopped to photograph it when a kind passer-by volunteered to tell me what it was. It's called 'Bat Plant' - Tacca
Integrifolia (thank you google) and it comes in either black or white. This one
is the white version. I would love to know what evolutionary purpose is served
by this bizarre configuration of bracts, flowers and filaments.
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I don't want to turn this post into a travel log but I
want to share some highlights. For those who don't already know, the Daintree
Rainforest is the oldest in the world, dating back 180 million years, older by
tens of millions of years than the Amazon. A sobering thought.
As part of the same tour we went on a short cruise on the
Daintree river looking for crocodiles and other wildlife. I stopped to
photograph this rather lovely yellow hibiscus, when the driver of the boat
pointed to the beautifully coloured tree snake resting on a branch just above the flowers.
Near by Palm Cove boasts these giant Malaleucas, around
which shops and restaurants have been built. If you look closely at the
photographs, you'll see the trees growing through the roofs of the shops. An
odd experience, sitting in a restaurant with a huge tree trunk next to you.
Upon our return from a walk to the Mossman Gorge, we came
across this giant Golden Orb Weaver spider. It took my breath away. I estimated its size at 18 cm from
tip of front legs to tip of back legs. Its web was over one sq. metre.
So, now we're back home and before I start on the
accumulated laundry, I wanted to write this post. To those of you who stayed to the end, I say 'Thank you for your indulgence'.
Until next time,
Emily
