Butchart Gardens ...with Haiku

When I asked Donna "What should I write in a blog?"  because we're not traveling much any more, she said, "Write whatever you want to write."

So this morning I was writing Haiku.  Not for the blog.  Just for me.

"But why not for the blog?" I asked myself.  It's what I want to write today.

So looking at photos from my recent visit to the Butchart Gardens in Victoria, British Colombia, I sought inspiration and then wrote Haiku poems to convey my thoughts about each.

So here goes, an inspiration share-athon:

When red and blue came

to Purple's garden party, 

they wore daisy masks.

When the yellow sun

invites blue sky to tea,

Green becomes the guest.

Pink happened when rain

splashed the face of a red rose

and she coyly blushed.

Each bright bloom dances
on a single slender foot.
A springtime ballet.





A tree rises up
while its roots push down deeper.
And soon it grows old.

If I stand up tall
and push against earth's follies,
will I soon grow wise?

Oh dear.  I'm getting maudlin.  The truth is:

Inspiration comes.

and then inspiration goes.

It leaves me wordless.

Victoria

What should you do when the ship pulls into Victoria, British Colombia, at 6 p.m. and you have to be back on board by 10:30 p.m., a ridiculously short stay?

Tom decided he would stay aboard, don his earphones, and listen to his recent sci-fi download. I decided that even though I would love to walk and explore the inner harbor, I didn't relish doing that on my own. Instead, I joined a group and visited Victoria's Butterfly Gardens and, most importantly, the world-renowned Butchart Gardens.

My iPhone camera and I had a good time on the tour. 

This Giant Owl Butterfly became my best friend! He (she?) stayed with me for a long time!



The Butchart Gardens are proof that a decimated landscape can be transformed into something of exquisite beauty.




Originally, the landscape was that of a spent limestone quarry.

Here are just a few photos of what can be seen now.

















Night came on, and I did get lost.  I had roamed the gardens more or less alone.  I was lucky that I stumbled on these two who led me back to the bus.




Luckier yet was the fact that I was only "almost" the last one to climb aboard.