Garden photography

Delphinium Flower/Δελφίνιο Λουλούδι

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Spring is here and the rain is going to pour, well it already has! Luckily, it didn’t rain on any parades today.  Set my clock an hour ahead because of day light saving time. It’s great for conserving energy but, it sucks to lose an hour of sleep.

Happy Greek Independence Day!

Η άνοιξη είναι εδώ, και θα βρέξει πολύ, καλά έχει ήδη βρέξει πολύ!  Ευτυχώς δεν εβρεξε  σε καμία παρέλαση σήμερα. Ρυθμίσα το ρολόι μου μια ώρα μπροστά λόγω της θερινής ώρας. Είναι καλό για τη διατήρηση της ενέργειας, αλλά δυστυχώς χάνεις μια ώρα ύπνου.

ΧΡΟΝΙΑ ΜΑΣ ΠΟΛΛΑ! ΕΛΕΥΘΕΡΙΑ Η ΘΑΝΑΤΟΣ!

Smooth Cala Lily

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Cala lilies are perennial flowers that can spread all over a garden. They are  very easy to maintain. I love the smooth texture of the lily. The word ‘cala’ comes from the Greek for beautiful, although in Greece if you say ‘kala’ it means good. The flower is poisonous, so pets and children should be kept away from the flower as to avoid the flower from being eaten.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Marigolds/ Κατιφέδες

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The “herb of the sun’ as it is also called, is symbolic of passion and creativity.

The Marigold flower is said to be used by the early Christians to be placed on the altar of The Virgin Mary instead of gold coins, hence the name ‘Mary’s gold’.

The flower can be used to ease the pain of wasp or bee stings and even burns and skin infections.

A New Cat in Town

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This is a beautiful and gentle cat called a ‘Calico cat’. She has become a permanent resident in my backyard recently. They are called Calicos due to their coloration which is white, black and orange. It’s not the name of their breed. Calicos are mostly females and they can be found in Greece and other Mediterranean countries. Calicos that have the orange patches originate from Egypt.

According to folklore Calico cats are said to bring good luck in many cultures.

Calico cats are very popular in Japan and there are many figurines called the ‘Maneki-Neko’ that depict the calico cat breed. They are considered good luck and are placed at the entrances of homes and businesses.

I guess that  I’m very lucky to have her in my yard. There is no way that I am shooing her away!

November Rain

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The month of November has long been the rainiest month in Greece. But, the rare ‘medicane’ (mediterranean + hurricane) that enveloped Greece this past Wednesday brought catastrophic flooding that took the lives of 21+ people, (many more have not been accounted for), and hundreds of people have been left homeless. This is the worst flooding Athens has seen in decades and it has left the country in a state of shock.

Global natural disasters are increasing by the day and whatever the cause, that fact is that we live in an unstable planet. Like our ancestors we have to adapt to the changes and continue to rebuild again. My sympathies and condolences to anyone who has lost someone to anyone who has lost a loved one the flooding, earthquakes and fires in recent times.