tea and treats

i've been enjoying rose flavored turkish delight each day, as morgana brought it back from london for me. it's one of my favorite desserts . . earl grey tea and turkish delight.

shopping

 morgana and i went shopping for sheets today at bed, bath and beyond and at west elm (where we found the perfect polka dot duvet cover for 50% off!). we had iced coffee and sweets at telegraph cafe on 18th street.

 it was a hot day and the cafe was filled with a lunch crowd, but we managed to squeeze together on a stool by the window. 

afterwards, i sat in the courtyard for awhile and read the last few chapters of c. s. lewis' that hideous strength, for my center for lit reading group.

lunch with korrina and a kitten pick-up

after having lunch with greg and visiting the smithsonian native american museum, korrina and i walked to pick up three foster kittens from the center just off of canal street.

greg met us there to help me carry them home. i think they came from down south, and are rescues from the hurricane.

they created quite a stir along west broadway . . 

we parted ways with korrina at houston street and took the kittens home to settle them into the soft tent pen we have. they're incredibly adorable, though a little messy and thin. we'll be giving them medication for their upper respiratory infection, and we'll be keeping them away from pluto.

sunday night

chanda has reading glasses now. she can't really see distance through them very well, so things looked blurry to her when i asked her to look up for the photo (thus, her left eye is "winking" at me). she's filling out a form for her new job at a local cafe. greg is vacuuming in the background (pluto spilled the kitty litter again).

i finally posted about greg's and my trip to the berkshires (here) from the beginning of august, and i put up a photo of chanda in a ballet class at steps (here).

poem for a sunday morning

sea song

to sea! to sea! the calm is o'er

the wanton water leaps in sport,

and rattles down the pebbly shore,

the dolphin wheels, the sea cows snort,

and unseen mermaid's pearly song

comes bubbling up, the weeds among.

fling broad the sail, dip deep the oar:

to sea! to sea! the calm is o'er.

to sea! to sea! our white winged bark

shall billowing cleave its watery way

and with its shadow, fleet and dark

break the caved tritons' azure day,

like mountain eagle soaring light

o'er antelopes on alpine height.

the anchor heaves! the ship swings free!

our sails swell full! to sea! to sea!

by thomas lovell beddoes (1803 - 1849)

poem for a sunday morning

the sailor's consolation

one night came on a hurricane,

the sea was mountains rolling,

when barney buntline turned his quid,

and said to billy bowling:

"a strong nor-wester's blowing, bill;

hark! don't ye hear it roar, now?

lord help 'em, how i pities them

unhappy folks on shore now!

"foolhardy chaps who live in towns,

what danger they are all in,

and now lie quaking in their beds,

for fear the roof should fall in;

poor creatures! how they envies us,

and wishes, i've a notion,

for our good luck, in such a storm,

to be upon the ocean!

 "and as for them who're out all day

on business from their houses,

and late at night are coming home,

to cheer their babes and spouses,--

while you and i, bill, on the deck

are comfortably lying,

my eyes! what tiles and chimney-pots

about their heads are flying!

"and very often have we heard

how men are killed and undone

by overturns of carriages,

by thieves, and fires in london;

we know what risks all landsmen run,

form noblemen to tailors;

then, bill, let us thank providence

that you and i are sailors."

by william pitt (died 1840 in malta)

 (these pics are from  hurricane irene, august 28th, 2011.)

a sunday garden tour

 greg and i visited the new york botanical garden today with my friend olga's guest passes. 

there was a special exhibit of "the modernist garden," celebrating brazilian landscape architect roberto burle marx (you can read about the nybg's exhibit on their website here - where there is a good photo of an aerial view).

 greg is standing in front of the calico plant, purple knight, alternanthera brasiliana. marx is known for bringing a new kind of garden into the world by using his native flora and working with bands of color, patterns and shapes, along with the scent of flowers and the sound of flowing water.

colocasia gigantea, thailand giant. this is not native to brazil, so i'm not sure why it's here, since i understood the nybg exhibit to highlight native brazilian flora. there is a blog site here, brian's botanicals, that has photos of even larger leaves. i took the photos because i thought the leaves were so beautiful and smooth.

 the sign reads, "the garden is, it must be, an integral part of civilized life: a deeply felt, deeply rooted, spiritual and emotional necessity," from a 1962 lecture by roberto burle marx, the garden as a form of art.

an exciting part for me was entering the conservatory gardens. i had never been before as it's only included with a higher priced entry pass, or as a member's guest. the tropical, temperate and desert gardens are particularly beautiful and i was excited that the desert region included a saguaro cactus. i didn't take photos of everything . . as it felt to be too much . . too overwhelming! i focused on the outdoor gardens today, and the brazilian dancers. i hope to go another time for photos of the inner gardens.

the sign says, "it is as if the forest offered treasures only to those who go in search of it, and i feel every day how short my life is to know and explore all the treasures of the brazilian flora," roberto burle marx, from an undated lecture titled, the plant.

 

 pigskin philodendron (!), also known as . . 

philodendron rugosum

 platycerium cultivar . . 

staghorn fern

my favorite part of the day: the lily and lotus aquatic garden . .

 the lotus flowers were so beautiful . . 

i had never looked down into one before . . 

 here i saw all its stages . . from bud . . to flower (as above) . . 

 to seed . . 

and to husk . . 

the lovely lilies . . 

 and hungry koi fish . . 

 and finally the dancers and samba band . . 

i could have listened to them all day . . it was so fun!

 leading the crowd in a line dance . . 

i love watching everyone joining in  . .

we even were able to take the tram ride tour around the entire park . . 

i love how the garden always includes poetry in its exhibits . . 

and then it was time to go home, passing through the ladies border again, which we walked through on our way in.