Happiness Grows

As I was watering my vegetable garden this morning, a glimpse of the bright red cherry tomatoes hanging plump on the vine and ready for picking, took me straight back to my childhood and the happiness I felt upon receiving my very first plant - a tomato. 


I was four, and given the tomato seedling as a gift by the owner of a garden nursery, who was apparently amazed by my fascination and love for plants.  His act of kindness, and that little seedling, filled me with a quiet joy.  I had been given my very own baby plant to take care of!  It would grow... and make tomatoes!  I was thrilled!  As soon as we got home I decided upon the perfect spot for my seedling - right outside the front door where everybody would be able to watch it grow.  Fortunately, it was a good spot.  My tomato plant got plenty of sun and plenty of tender loving care along with daily watering from me.  It thrived.  My happiness grew along with that tomato seedling.  I beamed with pride as it flourished and produced what I thought were the most beautiful tomatoes I had ever seen.


Today, as I fondly remember my first gardening experience, I am filled once again with quiet joy.  I'm sure the nursery owner knew he was planting a seed of happiness in me with that tomato seedling, and gently nurturing my love of plants, gardening and nature.  This happiness and love of gardening, I hope to pass on to my young daughter, her friends and neighbouring children who frequently visit... one way will be simply by sharing the gift of seedlings from my own garden, with them.

The tomatoes growing in my vegetable garden today, give me the same feelings of happiness as the first tomato plant I ever grew ~

 Text & photographs 
© HL Millen, Wild Honey Designs

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Flowers, always and always...

“I must have flowers, always, and always.” Claude Monet

Ever since I can remember, I have been enamoured with flowers.   My memories of childhood are infused with the scents, colours and textures of the gardens and bushland in which I spent the majority of my time playing.  I have always loved the outdoors - and felt most at home - being in the world of trees, flowers, grasses, rocks, streams, plants and animals.

Every chance I get, I immerse myself once again in the scents, colours and textures of my garden - and it is through my photography, sketching and painting, that I am able to express the essence of my experiences.

Like Monet, I must have flowers, always, and always.  I am addicted to colour.  I love beautiful floral scents.  I love the structures and textures of flowers - their petals and leaves.  In each flower is a fascinating world awaiting to be experienced and understood.

Truly Seeing

A poem about truly seeing.
 

Standing quietly by the wall
You smile your wondrous smile
I am caught in surprise... without able to say a word
I just hear you sing
And your song continues
It neither has a beginning nor an end
I bow deeply to you

Translated by Thich Nhat Hanh

 

Here is an an alternative translation, found on the internet -

I Bow Deeply
 

Standing quietly by the fence,
you smile your wondrous smile,
I am speechless,
and my senses are filled
By the sounds of your beautiful song,
Beginningless and endless.
I bow deeply to you.
 

Translated by Thich Nhat Hanh


 

Focus on Kalanchoe blossfeldiana

The blog background image is a colour enhanced photograph I took a couple of days ago, of the sweet Kalanchoe blossfeldiana flowers blooming in my garden.  Kalanchoe is a gorgeous succulent with small flowers and glossy, dark green foliage.  The flowers range in colour from shades of pink through to white, red, salmon and orange.  

The original photograph (I love these soft colours) ~

Colour Play ~ A Bouquet for Every Mood

My love of colour and sense of play led me to experiment with my photography program in order to create various colourful versions of the original...

Sweet Bouquet in Blue Notecards for purchase

Sweet Bouquet Notecards for purchase

 

 

Sweet Bouquet in Pink Notecards for purchase

These images and a small selection of my floral and nature photography can be found here at Pixdaus.

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What's in a Name?

Well, it has certainly been a while since my last (and first) post.  Where to start?  I guess an explanation of why I chose the name "Wild Honey Designs" may be a good launching point.

Every year in Spring, a busy hive of native stingless bees appears behind the drain pipe out on my front porch.  Their return always makes me feel grateful and happy.  The native bees are an important part of the ecology here, and they help to pollinate the flowers in my garden.

The native bees' search for flowers and pollen, and their transformation of that pollen into wild honey (apparently a beautifully flavoured honey), was my inspiration for the name of my business.

Not only does the return of the tiny bees bring me joy, it is also a time for celebration for the Willy Wagtails that nest out the front each year, as quite a few of the little bees end up as food for the wagtail chicks!

A native stingless bee "fully loaded" with pollen from a portulaca flower (my own photograph)

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