Delightful Sarawak

Arrangement # 64

Waking up early to a Saturday morning, less rain, I felt somewhat elated.  Saw the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics 2008 last night live on RTM 1. What a dazzling show it was. The moment I stepped out of the front door the heady sweet scent of a white ginger blossom ( Hedychium coronarium ) pricked my senses.
This particular bloom was next to a clump of wild bananas that are at present flowering and fruiting too.  A unique combination of events that I thought would be the subject of today's arrangement.
Moving around the garden I saw a small stalk of golden eranthemum ( Pseuderanthemum reticulatum ) in partial bloom.  These two blooms would make it to the table today.
I placed the two blooms and a couple of young variegated wild banana leaves into a mini 'tambuk'.  At the background I placed a favourite batik painting of mine which shows an Iban design motif. For a unique mixture of sorts, I name this composition....Delightful Sarawak.

Evening Gold

Arrangement#21

I came late from Bintulu town this afternoon to make good some problems with my notebook computer and hand phone N93i with the service provider ( CELCOM) . Around 5.00 pm the problems were solved. Thus when I arrived at the farm it was late afternoon and the yellow and orange rays of the evening sun began to set in. That gave me an instant hint.

Today I am going to make an arrangement using yellow as the central theme. I moved around quickly through the garden and noticed the glossy yellowish - greenish leaves of the Golden Eranthemum (Pseuderanthemum reticulatum) and a mass of tiny yellow flowers of the Tristellateia ( Tristellateiaa australasiae). Having got the material for the main menu, I next collected materials for the side orders like, the fronds of the bird's nest fern and a leaf of heliconia with its young red bracts.The red colour of the bracts would finally make the icing to the cake. Thus the title of today's composition.....Evening Gold.