Flowers and nature are a panacea, a way to lift our spirits when we are living through difficult times.
Yellow is such an uplifting colour… I cropped my photo below to make it a square image for: Becky’s Square Tops.
Find out more about her square daily photography challenge here: Square Daily Photo Challenge
The theme for April Squares is ‘top‘. This caught my eye up above me in the Cambridge Botanical Garden glasshouses.
There is nothing I love more than a stroll in the Botanical Gardens. I count myself lucky to have a free pass from my work and I often wander there during my lunch break.
At the moment we are in lockdown in the UK so I am not venturing out much, apart from a walk in our local neighbourhood, or a trip to the supermarket to get groceries.
Thursday morning was a stressful one, I got up extra early so I could do a weekly food shop and be back in time to log on to my computer (as I am working from home.) My heart sunk when I saw the long queue snaking from the front of Tescos supermarket around the car park and then turning back on itself, a human chain of disgruntled shoppers. I added myself to the back of the queue and waited.
My shop took two hours – it would normally have taken no more than an hour.
What I couldn’t get my head around was the number of shoppers who came in twos.
Why would you do that during a pandemic?
My anxiety levels cranked up even more as the girl in front of me kept glancing back at me with this glare as if to say stay back. I was staying well away from her but her over zealous attitude only served to make me more anxious.
So, after my Easter shopping food trip complete with chocolate Easter eggs I need another treat, the chocolate alone will not suffice – I needed a floral treat.
Here’s one of my recent flower photos taken at the Botanical gardens in Cambridge. A purple one!
If you’d like to join in Terri’s fantastic photography challenges here’s the link:
And you can also link to: Cee’s FOTD
Also I’m sharing some wonderful links about pandemic anxiety busters from talented photographer Cindy Knoke:
While you’re in the mood why not pop over to Send Sunshine blog for some uplifting quotes and images: Uplifting Quotes Daily.
Before I go I thought I’d recommend my latest release to you: a book of poetry, prose and photography, with lots of photos of Cambridge Botanical Gardens. It’s fairly new and receiving 5 star reviews, perfect lockdown reading!
Available for free on kindle unlimited and to buy in kindle and paperback: http://mybook.to/MrSagittarius
Mr. Sagittarius is a collection of poetry, prose and photographic images inspired by the botanical gardens in Cambridge. Photography is in the genes! Both my uncle and grandfather were photographers. My grandfather A.G. Ingram was originally with the photography company Ingram, Gordon & Co in Haddington up until the mid thirties. Then he ventured on his own to form the Scottish Pictorial Press in Edinburgh supplying photos to the press. When war broke out Scottish Pictorial Press became defunct. After the war he started AG Ingram Ltd, Commercial Photographers, at 3 successive locations in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Yes, flowers are a panacea and thanks for your lovely photos to lift the spirits. Sorry to hear about your shopping trip. I can´t believe people would be shopping in twos. What is wrong with people? I read the Curse of Time. Well done! I left a review on Goodreads and Amazon.ca. When will the next in the series be out?
Thank you so much for your review. Really made my Saturday special. So glad you enjoyed. The next in the series is with final beta readers. Then will need a round of re edit and edits. Not sure exactly when it will be ready but I am hoping autumn. It’s a complex tale and I want to make it the best it can be. There is a lot more about the grasshopper of the Chrophage in book two. Very excited about its progress. And thank you for your lovely comment about the flowers. 🙂 x
These things take time but it will be worth it! All the best. Enjoy your Easter weekend. xo
Yes, I agree. All the best to you too Darlene . Enjoy Easter weekend. xx
Beautiful pictures, Marje. I am also currently working from home but am feeling so overwhelmed that I am wondering if I should take a sabbatical for the next few months. I have a month of long leave owed to me. Our queue for food shops are also long as they only allow five shoppers in at a time.
Chocolate and flowers, a perfect treat. So glad you were able to get something but how horrid about the queues. We have not been out to shop in person for weeks, MrB is in at risk group so don’t dare . . been a huge challenge though finding online slots and ordering essentials let alone treats. However just occasionally a slot comes up 😀
Wow, that must be tricky, every time I try to get an online slot there are none. Stay safe and well. We are staying in as much as we can apart from food shopping. Happy Easter. 🙂
Beautiful post Sis Happy Easter 💜
Thank you. And to you Sis. Xxx
Hugs sis 💜💜
Marge, I’m so glad you joined Sunday Stills! I love botanical gardens, your images are beautiful! Congrats on your new book!
Hi Terri. It was fun. And thank you so much for the congrats for my new book. 🙂
We were in Cambridge last year. Didn’t get to the Botanical Gardens, but walking through the city centre I did spy a strange object between two telephone boxes. A bit of research identified it as a Dinky Door, brilliant invention by a group from Cambridge. Must go back again, but it’s a bit of a trek from Southampton.
Glad you managed to come to Cambridge last year Tony and saw the Dinky door. Thanks for popping over from Southampton to my blog for a virtual chat. 🙂
Your photos are lovely, Marjorie, your shopping trip, not so much. I hope things are getting better there. We don’t have such long lines to get in stores anymore, and people are going at different times. Also the stores have stocked up again on toilet paper and other essential items. However, the scare is still there. I hope you are staying safe and healthy. 🙂