Revisited

35 kilometers away from our home is our small farm situated in the middle of a rice field. I've been quite busy as a hands-on mother of 2 and a working mom as well and having my own small garden at home to take care of, we hardly ever get to visit the farm. Since my parents live closer to the farm, my father spends much of his quiet time in the farm with the caretaker as he is fond of taking care of the chickens, looking after the mango trees and the fishes in the pond.  The last time my husband and I together with the kids were able to visit the farm was last summer of May 2011.

Farm in the middle of rice fields

I was always fascinated by this Flame Tree in bloom planted along the sides of the streets on the way to the farm. Thanks to my husband who was kind enough to pull over the vehicle so I could take a shot of my favorite tree as the flowering season of this Delonix Regia is only during summer, that is April to June in the Philippines. For me, the dense orange flowers make the tree virtually attractive.The flowers were so striking that when it started to lose its blooms, the streets were carpeted with deep orange to apricot colored petals. I was so tempted to gather the petals and strew them back home in my garden.

Delonix Regia

As soon as we arrived, kids excitedly went fishing in the pond as they always looked forward into this activity. As promised by their grandfather, all the fishes caught by them were grilled and served for lunch in addition to the menu. At the end of the meal, freshly picked ripe mangoes were always best for dessert.

the fish pond surrounded by mango trees

kids love to go fishing in the pond

Fiesta in Bloom

It has been a tradition in the Philippines to celebrate town fiestas yearly. It is the time of the year when people gather together to honor their patron saints or to commemorate the foundation of their respective towns.

Witness the parade of colors of summer and the warm smiles of street dancers....

Or experience the charm of the flower inspired fancy outfits....

Even the choreography is patterned to a flower in bloom...

Stargazing

I remember the time when I used to go the rooftop of a building and lay there stargazing; I was so carefree then. It's not that I was a loner. In fact, I go the rooftop to get in touch with family and friends by using a two-way radio system when distance kept us from seeing each other when practicing my profession was all that mattered to me. Being a member of an amateur radio group which I guess was a fad during my time, I was obliged to "check-in" with the rest of the group every evening using amateur radio terms. My enthusiasm with the hobby started at home where this kind of radio system was used by my father to check all of us his six children when he had to go home late past midnight. Where "height is might," this type of communication system requires a towering antenna with minimal interference to send signal for transmission. My workplace didn't have that kind of antenna so that explains why I had to climb the rooftop. Hahah.With my handheld radio and a 4-feet telescopic antenna, I was transmitting as far as 80-100 kilometers distance at 100 feet high building. I can still recall how I enjoyed talking "anything under the moon" with friends and family under those starry, starry nights.

Nocturnal site sings,

as pale, damp wind come lingering by...

Now, looking at my Cryptanthus, Dusty Emerald, I still remember those nights when I used to do stargazing on the roof top. I bought this Cryptanthus several months ago because of its uniqueness among other bromeliads: stemless with crinkled, elongated variegated leaves. I like how the leaves are arranged like a star growing close to the ground. And look at these tiny three-petaled white blooms. These meteoric flowers tend to unfold pretty fast.

shortlived "meteoric" three-petaled flower