3D Chalk Drawings by Julian Beever

My friend Wern sent me these amazingly optical illusionary chalk drawings. Check them out - they look awesome!

I have had to attach only my favorites, because my blog is stingy with the number of pics I can upload at one time :(

Go to http://users.skynet.be/J.Beever/ to see his whole collection

Orangeblossom xxx

Daffodils in Bloom (and other stuff about flowers!)

Last night, Jo showed me an article about flowers and their holistic properties in a Spirit and Destiny Magazine. Then on the way to work today, I was sitting on the bus, and glanced out the window, and instead of focusing on the grey skies above, my focus was drawn to the fields of daffodils in bloom in Memorial Park. A smile rose from the corners of my mouth and I marveled at the simple beauty that can be found all around us. Flowers have such a positive effect on us, their colours span that rainbow and back and their smells tickle our receptors to life.

If I were to return as a flower, I would be a sunflower. Even though I love roses (and I mean if you came back as rose, you would be guaranteed to be the most sought after rose in town!), its sunflowers that I really adore. They are such happy flowers, they rise and fall in the presence of the sun, the sun is their life force and they worship it without hesitation.

My mom and gran are both avid gardeners and I always admire their dedication and knowledge about things fauna and flora. So I will dedicate this post to them and all others that give their time, energy and love to nurture these fantastical creations.

Throughout history, flowers have been used as medicine for their healing properties. Flowers are still used today in this capacity as people increasingly demand homeopathic remedies that modern medicine cannot offer. Near the turn of the century, Dr. Edward Bach created several flower essences that would help heal holistically. They do not work directly on symptoms, but help our spirits to heal, which in turn, helps our bodies heal.

Here is a brief A-Z list of common flowers and what they represent:

Azalea: nearness
Bachelor's Buttons: work, individuality
Buttercup: friendship
Camellia: company, gatherings
Clematis: serenity, steadfastness
Cowslip: secrets
Crocus: birth, rebirth
Daffodil: communication of secrets
Daisy: simplicity
Hawthorn: divination
Heather: powerful woman
Heliotrope: wellness and vitality
Honeysuckle: fertility
Honesty: honesty
Iris: frail but hearty
Jasmine: night rendezvous
Lady's Slipper: wealth
Lily: purity, life
Lily of the Valley: death, change
Lupin: passion
Magnolia: unfolding events
Morning Glory: glory, quickness, firsts
Mum: affection
Myrtle: remembrance
Orchid: promises kept
Pansy: weakness
Petunia: gentleness, shyness
Primrose: modesty, guardianship
Queen Anne's Lace: gentleness, quiet strength
Rhododendrom: In waiting
Rose, red: love, fidelity
Rose, pink: youth
Rose, yellow: infidelity
Rose, white: silence
Snapdragons: power, man
Sunflower: power, strength, watchfulness
Snowdrop: children
Tulips: constancy
Verbana: motherhood
Violets, purple: fidelity
Violets, white: betrayal
Waterlily: otherworldliness, dreams
Wintersweet: eternity

So next time you are out and about, take a few minutes to look around at the flowers and perhaps have a chat with them or give them a stroke or just gaze lovingly at them, because they are special gifts from the earth!

Have a fantastical weekend and safe travels!

Orangeblossom (which is a symbol for purity!) xxx

What colour does a smurf go if you choke him?

Another of life's many unanswered questions hey?! This one in particular is from my IC Tyran – he continues to amuse and stimulate my mind in weird and wonderful ways! But when you associate and surround yourself with people who constantly question and wonder about life and our purpose in it – it makes you think and question pretty much anything and everything. It makes you feel so much more connected to others, it feeds your soul!

I wrestle with life's great unanswered questions all the time. For instance, I'd like to know if Albert Einstein knew he looked so nerdy? Did he make a conscious choice to grow a 'fro at 70 or does that just happen to people who get too close to nuclear fission?! Why do cars speed up just when I'm trying to pass them? Why does 90% of all bad weather occur on weekends? Why haven't I won the lottery yet? Why does the Easter bunny carry eggs? Rabbits don't lay eggs. Why do British people never sound British when they sing? How do they get those boats in those glass bottles?

Ok perhaps these are not groundbreaking and philosophically sound questions – but they are fun! It is interesting to see where our everyday sayings and expressions originate from.

Some popular Ye Old English Sayings:

“Goodnight, Sleep Tight” - In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes. When you pulled on the ropes, the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on.

“Honeymoon” - It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the "honey month".

"Mind your P's and Q's" - In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts. So in old England, when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them mind their own pints and quarts and settle down.

In Scotland, a new game was invented. It was entitled Gentlemen Only - Ladies Forbidden... and thus the word GOLF entered into the English language.

In 1945, an IBM researcher named Grace Hopper was trying to fix a problem in one of the first electronic computers. She discovered a moth jamming a relay and coined the term "bug" for any computer glitch.

“Beat around the bush” - Game birds were scared out of their hiding places under bushes and then killed.

“Saved by the Bell” - When our ancestors realized that they were burying a great deal of people before their time had actually come, they came up with a solution. They tied a string onto the "dead" person's hand, buried them, and tied the other end of the string to a bell and then tied it to nearby tree branch. If the person revived enough to ring the bell, their survivors would rush out and dig them up. Hence... "saved by the bell"

“Getting the short end of the stick” - Candles were expensive to make, so often reeds were dipped in tallow and burned instead. When visitors came, it was the custom for guests to make their exit by the time the lights went out. Therefore, if your host didn't want you to stay very long, he would give you a "short stick."

“Giving someone the cold shoulder” - When a guests would over stay their welcome as house guests, the hosts would (instead of feeding them good, warm meals) give their too-long staying guests the worst part of the animal, not warmed, but the COLD SHOULDER.

“Mind your own beeswax” - This came from the days when smallpox was a regular disfigurement. Fine ladies would fill in the pocks with beeswax. However when the weather was very warm the wax might melt. But it was not the thing to do for one lady to tell another that her makeup needed attention. Hence the sharp rebuke to "mind your own beeswax!"

“Cloud nine” - It is of relatively recent origin. The US weather bureau listed the different cloud formations and assigned them numbers. Cumulous clouds are #9.

And last, but not least…

In ancient England, a person could not have sex unless you had consent of the King (unless you were in the Royal Family). When anyone wanted to have a baby, they got consent of the King, the King gave them a placard that they hung on their door while they were having sex. The placard had F.*.*.*. (Fornication Under Consent of the King) on it. Now you know where the "F" word came from!!

And so the list carries on…English is really such a complex and strange language! Well that’s a bit of useless literary information for you to do with what you like.

And now I must go and book hostels for my HungryCzech with Jo and Sharon and fulfill my organizing hobbit duties!

Safe travels xxx

Who is Orangeblossom?!

Ok so introductions have been made – but you probably still wondering who the heck Orangeblossom is?

Well to get formalities out of the way, my birth name is Catherine and I was born on the 30th July 1982 (making me born under the greatest Sun sign Leo!) to Shirley (child of James and Yoland) and Desmond (child of Archie and Kathleen). I also have an older sister, Shireen. And the most recent addition to my family is little William Bruce – who is THE most beautiful baby ever born. And I am not just saying that because I am such a proud aunt – its true – he has the face of a wise old soul, his ocean blue eyes just gaze and stare right inside of your own.

I was born, bred and education in Cape Town, South Africa and I have been traveling since I finished high school. Although the bug first bit when Shireen and I went to Australia in 1997 – that was the beginning of my itchy feet. Although I am sure I have inherited them from my dad, whom I fondly think of as a wandering shepherd, always seeking the greener pastures in new lands.

After high school, my soul mate best friend, Shevy and I conquered Western Europe (ok maybe I am exaggerating ever so slightly!) on a 35 day Contiki camping tour, having the time of our lives. We truly did appreciate all the sights and cultures – we had to buy another bag to fit all our appreciation in! Then we settled in Londontown for a year and a half, doing the whole London rat race thing – we had loads of fun and fully embraced our new found independence. I then went to New York on a 6 month programme and lived, worked and socialized with 16 other girls – drama is not the word for what happened on a daily basis! But lifelong friendships were fused there (my Dimple Boffin and Lobelia!) and I will never forget and will cherish always. Then back to England, worked for 2 years, went to Egypt, Scotland, Ireland and also on an 8 week trip to South America (through Bolivia, Argentina, Brazil) and also met a bunch of awesome gals. Recently went back home for 6 months and was there to welcome little William into this world. Now I find myself back in the Shire country, hoping to be accepted into university, and also squeeze in as much travel as possible, of course.

So that is the just of Orangeblossom’s history so far…

I will now continue to elaborate a little on my interests (what gets me going!) and they are very varied/weird/interesting/whatever! Here are a few…

Traveling (but that is a given – see above!) I have many more places on my “To See List” like Czech Republic and Hungary (going in August!), Russia, Thailand, China, Tibet, Laos, Vietnam, Alaska or Greenland, Peru and the Caribbean – to name just a few. A great website to check out is www.lonelyplanet.com or www.roughguides.com
Ancient History - Roman/Greek/Egyptian are among my favorite ancient civilizations to read up on. Especially Egypt – I really believe I was like an Egyptian Queen there…perhaps Cleopatra!
Psychology – well when two of my close friends study that, it’s hard not to get hooked on the subject. It’s so intricate, the human mind. I love to “people watch” like sitting outside a café and just looking at how people are, how they exist, how the interact with strangers, partners, friends. As much as I am fascinated by all of it, I tend to not go too deep into it, try not to over-analyse it all. Else you lose sight of other things around you, you get lost within all the thinking. You end up both unconsciously and consciously re evaluating every aspect of your life and the life of those around you. It’s all about Balance.
Alternative and Complimentary Therapies – like reiki, homeopathy, acupuncture, aromatherapy, yoga, reflexology, crystal therapy and meditation. All these (and there are many more) are so beneficial to our mental, physical and spiritual health and progression. I try to gain a bit of insight into each other these, in time. I think we should all pamper ourselves at least once a month to a treatment. So often we neglect our bodies, and don’t look after them as they should be. Therapies are becoming more available and are affordable – I wish I could just live in a spa retreat forever!
Alternative or New Age thinking – in recent years I am become more attuned to the spirituality that surround us. My sister (thank you Reenie!) first introduced me to concepts such as chakras, reiki, positive energy, angels and auras. It’s taken me a while to accept it all, but lately it’s all become so clear and I find myself consciously aware of it. Ill be posting more on this subject on my blogs esp. now that I have become a trance party addict (thanks to Jodene’s magical influence!!) and it’s a great was to surround yourself with likeminded people and positive light and energy.


Ok phew…I think that is enough for today, I have already devoted my entire work day to my blog (not that I am complaining because if I could, I would blog for a living!!) and I must meet Jodene at the train station!

Safe travels xxx

Orangeblossom has arrived!!

A grand moment – my first blog and my first posting! How exciting!

What should I write, I suppose the sensible thing to do would to do a draft first, but no I will just let the words flow from my minds random thinking and expression.

Well I am hoping that I will be able to update and keep this blog fresh with my current happenings – and I will appreciate and thoroughly enjoy your responses or comments about anything you wish to share.

Lobelia has been my inspiration to create this blog – after reading hers I was just amazed by her creativity and insight and beautiful writings. I will in no way even try to compete with yours my darling fairy friend! (I will post a link to her blog for your viewing pleasure – hope you don’t mind Lobelia?!!)

So I had the inspiration…all I needed was the motivation. Like most things in my life – it just popped into my head to just do it. Today. I have been collecting quotes, poems, readings etc for a few years now (mostly for my own use) and I really want to be able to share it in a way that will allow any of my friends (or lovely strangers!) to take a peek anytime and anywhere they may be.

The joy of having friends and family all around the world is such a gift, but also it sucks because you cant just go around for a cup of tea and chinwag whenever you feel like it. And the time zones don’t help either. And also I forget that they all actually have real lives and cant just be available at the snap of my fingers.

So this blog will serve as a gateway of sorts to my mind, life, experiences, happenings, events, interests, links, and pretty much whatever is my current flavour of the month in all things philosophical, spiritual, academic, world news, interesting facts and figures bla bla bla.

Again…that is the plan!

I will leave on a positive note and with a little saying to end of my first ever blog posting! After that I am putting on my “Work In Progress” hard hat and will attempt to try and organize my thoughts and ideas in a semi logical and understandable order. As they say in well all over…”Watch this Space” !!

"As the traveler who has once been from home is wiser than he who has never left his own doorstep, so a knowledge of one other culture should sharpen our ability to scrutinize more steadily, to appreciate more lovingly, our own." - Margaret Mead

Safe Travels and Keep Smiling

Orangeblossom & Catherine & Cath & Cat & Catey Cate & Kitty Cat & Bumblebee & Little One & Frodo & Caterina xxx