It's Not All Cleaning Around Here, You Know

Hubby suggested an outing to the nearby conservatory  --  oh yes, dear sir, that's a wonderful idea. Suddenly messy drawers, overflowing bookshelves, and grey winter skies seem far, far away. And, when we walked into the feature pavilion yesterday afternoon, we were indeed transported to a far away garden somewhere in the exotic Orient.

For we were surrounded by bright pots of yellow chrysanthemums alongside red and deep pink cyclamen, displays of flamboyant orchids, and to our delightful surprise, a life size ancient Chinese clay warrior with his trusty steed -- as you see in the photo above.

First, I noticed the sweet fragrance on the air as we walked in. I thought it was the flowers, but in actuality it came from light floral-scented incense. This pot of incense sticks. Quite often I find incense too intense, but this was really lovely. It was just there, if you know what I mean, evoking that sense of something special.

Then, we spotted this gorgeous red lacquer garden bridge. Also surrounded by masses of flowers, it sat over a little pond replete with koi and other fish. As we stood to take it all in,  the fish caught sight of us by the bridge and they all swarmed towards us -- must have been hoping we were the lunch wagon.

Now for a few glimpses of the orchids -- all so breathtaking in beauty, colour and shape -- it was hard to decide which few to include. These were some of my favourites...

It was a wonderful outing! Nothing better than sharing it with someone special, then stopping at the cafe afterwards for a refreshing pot of tea, and rounding it all off with a wee bit of shopping in the too-lovely gift store (can't show you because it's a gift and someone might see). It was perfect!

Now, here's wishing you a beautiful weekend
with glimpses of beauty in unexpected places,

Hugs

Brenda

xox

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Amy @ Five on Friday