Silent Sunday
Tankar
Thursday Thoughts – Along the Roads of Funchal, Madeira
I am dreaming myself back to Madeira again… We’ve had a wonderful summer here in Sweden, but now Autumn is in full swing with wind, rain, and much cooler temperatures.
So, I allow myself to contemplate for a while, just like this lady among flowers and lush greenery.
But, I love wandering in cactus and succulent gardens too. These are from the cacti collection in the Botanical Garden of Madeira.
I have some cacti in my home, but mostly epiphyllums – no spikes! My biggest cactus (with huge spikes…)has fallen and hit me hard a couple of times – it is taller than me.
Begonias in splendid show at Monte Gardens.
I just had to have one of these, so, I brought one home, now sitting in my window waiting to come outside next summer.
I love Madeira for many reasons – one of them is their exquisite stone layered streets. Here together with exquisite Bougainvillea too. Grey colours and the vibrance of this flower/tree go so well together.
There are some forgotten gardens as well…and houses. But even those ones are lush and quite beautiful. This one was carefully guarded by fiercely barking dogs.
Ferns have a special place in my heart. Big or small – any size.
And one of my favourite ferns grow abundantly in Madeira. Back home in June, I promptly bought two Dicksonia Antarctica. A friend of mine has successfully brought up one of this species, but they have to stay in an orangerie to manage our winters. I will give it a try too. At least the summer went well for both of them!
Lens-Artists Challenge #365 – Longing
Egidio and Sofia both has introduced to me a wonderful and sensitive word: saudade.
Wikipedia defines saudade as
an emotional state of melancholic or profoundly nostalgic longing for a beloved yet absent someone or something. It is a recollection of feelings, experiences, places, or events, often elusive, that cause a sense of separation from the exciting, pleasant, or joyous sensations they once caused.
The word Saudade might translate ”longing”, but it holds so much more… and that is what I feel for the place where I grew up. Everything was sold and lost to us when my grandmother died in 1988. The piece of land where my grandparents worked so hard, the fruit trees, the raspberry field, the strawberry fields and all the vegetables. The gravel road leading up to the house – how many times have I walked it? I used to go there every day, before school and after school. Helping them with the picking, and packing the harvest to be sold.
Looking through some old photo albums for this challenge, I found these precious photos that I want to share with you. They are marked with time and were sitting in pressed plastic folders, so the quality is not that good. But they hold so much of my life, my gratefulness and saudade…
This is the house, and grandmother and grandfather picking black currants. They had hundreds of those bushes. I remember every piece of that path around the orchards, and the joy ( and sometimes tough work) of helping my grandparents. My mother and her brothers all helped out during harvest times. After we had finished for the day, we were rewarded with coffee and cake in the garden – and strawberries with creme of course.
Those where times when the sun seemed to shine every day and life was easy being surrounded by loving people. I only wish I had some more photos from when I was a child.
There is also another kind of longing – where we can return to the place we long for, even if we cannot go back to what it was the first time. Because everything changes, and so do we. Sometimes maybe the change is bigger within than in the particular place we are longing for.
The Azores is a place for much saudade. Faial, Flores and Corvo occupy many rooms in my heart.
When we hiked the island of Flores, in 2007, we were looking for the valley with eleven water falls. We could see it from afar, immersed in the lush greenery.
And when we finally reached it, we were all alone and could totally immerse ourselves too. Body and soul.
It was really an otherworldly place. Still today, I think of it as a Paradise.
The island of Faial is renowned, among other things, for its Hydrangea hedges. Instead of fences for the cattle, they have 3-5 meter high hedges.
Finally, the island floating in the sky and sea – Corvo. My heart aches for it.
Now, we are curious about what You are longing for! When you join the challenge and share your saudade, don’t forget to use the “lens-artists” hashtag so we can find your post in the Reader.
Your responses to Ritva’s challenge were wonderful last week. It was what we all needed – Next week, Tina returns with a new challenge. It will go live at noon EST in the USA. Tune in to find out more about the challenge then. Until then, take care and be kind.
Silent Sunday
Thursday Thoughts – End of Summer
So, it’s the end of a wonderful summer – but also a frightening summer with far too high temperatures.
The little port at the other side of the water, is glowing in the morning sun. It’s September, and temperatures should be falling. Should be…but are not. We swim every day in the warm sea.
I pick up Milo and we walk along the summer houses by the water. The neighbours let their flowers invade the walk, and I love those high, handsome bells.
As we head for the meadows and the canal, one of the big herons sweeps over our heads. It is the last visit to our summer house this year, and I always feel sad to say goodbye to this beloved place. A piece of freedom – a haven of peacefulness it is. And when the summer tourists have left, everything is quiet, and Mother Nature can take it back and have it all to herself.
The car is packed, and we drive back home again. The first thing to do is to water all the plants and flowers. Hardly any rain fell here this summer, and some plants didn’t survive. We don’t have our own well – so – there are choices to be made. Which plants or flowers do I absolutely want to live? Which ones must I let go?
It’s easier indoors, where I can close the blinds and and save all the plants from the scorching sun.
I try not to think about that ominous heat – only to love the beautiful summer we had. But, something is very wrong with the climate. And – with many other things in this world. Still, I am grateful for a wonderful summer with family and friends. They are my hope. I hope you had a lovely summer too. Or the season you are in.
Lens-Artists Challenge # 364 – Quiet Moment
Ritva wants us to share a quiet moment. ”Where is your serene sanctuary?”, she asks. Is it the warm comfort of sipping your morning coffee or tea – alone in the silence? Or, maybe the peaceful moments engaging in your favourite hobbies? This week’s challenge is encouraging us to connect with our inner emotions and experiences.
You who follow me, or often read my blog, will know how much I need and love those quiet moments. I think we all crave them to have harmony in our lives.
I so envy cats. They seem to effortlessly land in those moments every day. And I, I quietly look at them and would love to know their secret…
Once I had an otherworldly experience, one that I know I might never have again. This is the tiny island of Corvo in the Azores archipelago. We were only allowed to stay for half an hour, and those soundless 30 minutes passed all too fast. We sat looking down in the hydrangea filled volcano crater – that was all the island consisted of – floating in the skies around us. Everything was blue and green – no borders, nothing.
And the white and black dots you see deep down there – are cows.
Summerhouse sunset, and my two children growing… too fast. I remember this moment, maybe 16-17 years ago, standing there looking at them, tears burning, loving them with all my heart.
These last photos are from an early morning, same place, no dog, only my camera. A quiet walk, contemplating the last days of a beautiful summer.
As I reached the path, I stopped breathing when the delicate deer stepped out of the forest and into the light.
At the end of the path, is the sea. In the smooth water sailed silent birds and boats.
This beautiful family was sailing while eating, teaching their young how to dip down and dive for food. In quiet moments, details become more clear to us, we can watch, enjoy and learn.
Thank you Ritva for this wonderful challenge. I warmly recommend a visit to Ritva’s beautiful post and be inspired by her thoughtful photos and words. Remember to link back to her original post and to tag Lens-Artists so we can easily find you.
Last week we had so much fun with Anne’s challenge. I loved to see how differently we can interpret a theme! Next week it is Egídio’s turn to host, Saturday 13th September. Until then, take care and be kind.
If you want to know more about the Lens-Artists Challenge, please click here.
Wordless Wednesday
Silent Sunday
Lens-Artists Challenge #363 – Virtual Scavenger Hunt
This week Anne is taking us for a scavenger hunt – some great fun to be had! Visit Anne’s post for more about rules and inspiration. I searched my archives and these are some of her guidelines that I used:
Wheel, cirkular, some cool morning jewellery,
and some very green eyes…
Something glass – behind glass too (Chihuly), and something with water in it – Water Library (Roni Horn) in Iceland.
The coolest shadow I have ever caught was in Segovia.
Art supplies in Beijing and in a studio in Sweden.
Something with a design and something with a pattern.
Be creative and bold, Anne says, but most of all, have fun! She urges us to find at least five images, but no more than ten! Please be sure to link back to Anne’s original post and use the Lens-Artists tag. This will be a fun challege to see what you have scavenged!
Many thanks to Beth, for getting us in a sports mood last week. Next week Ritva will be back so
be sure to visit her site for inspiration. In the meantime, stay safe and be kind.
Thursday Thoughts – A Boa Vista Adventure
Quinta da Boa Vista Orchid Garden –
The best orchid collection on show all year round
The historic quinta ‘estate’ and orchid garden has been in the Garton family for over a century and is now run by Patrick Garton in Funchal, Madeira, and is open to the public and groups all year round. It was a must to visit there again. Last time was at least 30 years ago.
On our many Madeira travels we used to visit several orchid gardens, but this time we could not find any of those. We learned from a bus driver that at least one of them was burned down in the fires some years ago. And no one could answer to the question if Boa Vista was still open.
The road up to the Quinta displayed abandoned houses and gardens, and when the road finally turned into a gravel path, we began to fear the worst. Maybe the orchid garden wasn’t there at all anymore?
The BOA VISTA ORCHID GARDEN was founded in the 1960s by the late Group Captain Cecil Garton, O.B.E., in the grounds of Quinta da Boa Vista, which had been in his family for the past 100 years or so. After 30 years in the Royal Air Force, latterly spent as Air Attache in Lisbon and Madrid, he retired to Madeira where he devoted himself to developing the Quinta garden and to growing orchids. Cecil Garton’s widow, Betty (Elizabeth Hera Garton), is the daughter of Sir William Cooke, one of the pioneers of orchid breeding, particularly of Cymbidiums, besides being a collector of rare and beautiful natural species. (Madeira Web)
After some mistakes of direction, two phone calls and a lost husband – I finally reached the Quinta. It had been a looong walk uphill. I didn’t recognize the place at all – it felt a bit neglected and not many orchids blooming. The season had peaked, I knew, but still. Patrick met me in the yard, and before I could say anything at all, he delivered a litany of complaints about the status of things. Both his business and things in general.
After some 10 minutes, I almost regretted coming there. Then my husband called and wondered if I had found the place – and I described the path to him. Five long minutes later he arrived – and saved me.
We tried to remind Patrick why we were there, and could finally enter the greenhouses. I did not take many photos, since he kept me spellbound about the orchid breeding and his interesting life and work. He was very knowledgeable and scientific (Oxford degree) – a real gem. There was no question that he could not answer. After an hour or so, I understood the magnitude of his problems with the business and why he was so upset. His father had died many years ago, and in 2017 his mother – the pillar of the Quinta’s business – died. Taking care of hundreds (or thousands…) of orchids was now more or less up to Patrick alone. He was short of helping hands and had recently lost his main gardener too. ”People don’t want to work this hard anymore”, he said. And ”their education and horticultural training is of poor quality.”
I felt so sorry for him being in such a desperate situation. But, I was happy to hear he had the two Laeliocattleya orchids I wanted (they can no longer be found in Sweden). Unfortunately they were in the nursery so I could not buy them. I bought another Laeliocattleya instead – to have at least one of my favourite orchids in my own house is a must. (Also in my blog name ”Lagottocattleya”.)
Back home again I realised we had arrived at the back of the mansion and gone directly to the shop and nursery. No wonder I didn’t recognize it! I also found Patrick’s request for volunteers on the internet. Hopefully he will get help to keep up this renowned old Quinta. Had I been younger…I would have offered my help on the spot! Do you know of anyone interested?
Boa Vista Orchids welcomes volunteers; please see the contact information below.
Quinta da Boa Vista
Rua Lombo da Boa Vista
9050-126 Funchal
Telephone: (+351) 291 220 468
Fax: (+351) 291 230 309
E-mail: patrickgarton@hotmail.com
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