The Beauty of Nature

Morpho didius upper wing surface scales.

Linden Gledhill's microscope photos of butterfly wings. Fascinating!

Hypolimnas dexithea.

Graphium weiskei arfakensis wing.

Sunset moth wing.

Nature can bring a lot of beauty into our lives. Here's a breathtaking article .

I hope that you are having a wonderful week. xx

(Microscope photos by Linden Gledhill )

( Found on PetaPixel )

Comments Off

I Turned Off Comments On Today's Post and Future Ones...Temporarily

I feel guilty. And I'm not sure it's something I can totally control.
I feel guilty for:

Not reading enough blogs. (I do want to read so many blogs but it gets out of control.)

Not commenting on enough blogs. (I don't comment as much as I'd like to. And I feel guilty about that.)

Not responding to comments promptly enough. (While I'll do my best to reply quickly, sometimes my hectic schedule will prevent me from getting to you as promptly as I'd like-I feel guilty about that.)

I do feel really bad when I don't get around to visiting the sites of people that comment on my blog.

I've very reluctantly decided to disable comments on today's post and future ones...for now. TEMPORARILY. You know, I wouldn't have done so if I did not need to.
Yes, I will most definitely turn on the comments, but not for the next few weeks at least.

Don't get me wrong, I love blogging. I really do. And I love reading my readers' comments. You inspire me and you support me and I'm so thankful for having you as my blogging friends.
Also, as a blogger, I love receiving comments from people and interacting with them - It's always nice to be acknowledged. And I've enjoyed great discussions with other bloggers and readers as well.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that blogging takes hard work and dedication but even though I enjoy it so much there are so much more things that need to get done, including my photography improvement.

Although I'd love to get back to all of my fellow bloggers, I've still got a schedule to follow and things need to get done. I've also taken a step back from several social media platforms e.g. pinterest, twitter, tumblr. I simply do not have the energy to do everything. In all honesty, I have to prioritize my life and I often get stressed out; I'm worried about upsetting my readers for not responding to their comments...

I think it's probably best to disable comments on a few posts TEMPORARILY (so not to offend my fellow bloggers if I didn't reply to their comments) until I can.

That is not to say I will not comment on your posts. I will. I'll still be a regular reader/commenter.
See you around the blogosphere! xx

P.S. I do hope that you all understand and will continue visiting and reading my blog.

P.P.S. People can still e-mail me if they need any help or just to chat...

(Top photo via Jeffbullas.com , bottom photo via Experience Farm)

Is Blogging Taking Over Your Life?

Is blogging taking over your life? Does blogging ever leave you feeling overwhelmed? Does it prevent you from living your life? You're not alone.

You've got to take back control.

Blogging does have a way of controlling us instead of us controlling blogging. Lately, I found myself rushing from task-to-task and pushing past my limits working at 110% for week on end. I would like to confess: I am a terrible manager of time. Effective time management is something that I struggle with.

Blogging is fun but it takes hard dedication and a lot of sacrifice. Just get up earlier to write a post and read blogs, which means that you're only getting five hours of sleep at night. Should we be sacrificing our health?

There has to be a balance between blogging and living your life. When we focus our life on blogging...we forget to live. However, it's very hard to balancing it all with our life and still stay sane.
It's taken a few months, but I now feel that I've just about got the life-blogging balance right.

If you have a big dream for your blog or you want to grow your blog but struggle to get the balance right, here are 3 tips that I, personally, found to be the most useful and effective tips for a better life-blogging balance- Having been at blogging for four years and counting, I've learned a few things that might help.

Set Priorities-Do Less-Take a Break

-Set Priorities: Yes, prioritizing is key to balancing life and blogging. (Acknowledging that you have responsibilities, but also carve out time for yourself.)

-Do Less: Slow down. ( Notice what needs to be done.) This is a really helpful and effective strategy recommended by blogger Leo Babauta .

-Take a Break: Sometimes, you just need a break - from everything! (Clear your mind and refresh yourself to refocus. To regroup.)

I love blogging. I wouldn't trade it for the world. And I love all the people I've met through blogging. I haven't just made useful acquaintances, I have made friends. And I'm immensely grateful for the continuing support and engagement of a growing readership.
But down deep I know that if I want to keep loving blogging, I need to take a step back and assess my priorities.

How do you balance life and blogging? xx

(Top cartoon by David Walker , bottom cartoon via bloggingpro.com , illustration by Cem Kiziltug )

Linking to: Nablopomo at Blogher.com

and Wednesday Around the World 

Five Likes Tuesday: May Morning

This post was originally posted on May 1st, 2012.

Coral Ardisia plant.

Geranium plants.

Wow, it's May already? Boy, time seems to be flying by. The month of May brings feelings of sweet anticipation for summer, longer sunshine-y days and warmer nights. I can't believe that summer is almost around the corner. In the meantime I am literally overwhelmed by all those beautiful blooming flowers and the beauty all around me. Nature inspires me in so many ways; I'm grateful for the lovely blossoms Mother Nature so graciously gave us!

The warm sun rays played on my eye lids and woke me up to a glorious, bright day.
I am at peace...xx

I am not sure what is the name of this flower, but I really like it!

A Taste of the New

This post was originally posted on September 29th, 2009.

Emile, a fifty year old wine maker, was in charge then, but  he has now handed over his daughter Isabelle, who is continuing to make excellent wines.

I think in matters of wine and taste, the French generally contrive to give an impression of effortless self-sufficiency. 

While my uncle Peter and I were planning a trip to France- long ago-we've decided that we would  begin with a visit to the vineyards of Alsace. It was my first time in my entire life that I visited a winery.

Alsace is one of France's most appealing wine regions. It is scenically beautiful and its climate is reliably mild.
It is a delight for the gastronome (it has more Michelin stars than any other part of France).

Alsace wines are sold in a tall, slender, green bottle, known as a flute .
Most are vinified dry and have respectable levels of alcohol, making them excellent partners for food.

I have very fond memories of my visit to the Wines' Road, in Alsace, France.
I was impressed not only by the pretty villages but by the openness and enthusiasm of the producers.
The Alsace Wine Route runs through small towns and villages, one of which is Dambach la Ville where the winery is.
Dambach la Ville is a traditional village with half-timbered houses, narrow streets and flower-decked-balconies.

My uncle's friends, Emile, his daughter Isabelle and her husband Jacques, gave me a wonderful welcome during my visit to the small village of Dambach la Ville.

The winery is housed in a charming old butter factory and they produce  a dry, food-friendly white wine of the Pinot Gris grape variety.                      

It's fun reading Masters of Wine's description on the bottles: flowery, fruity, spicy, smoky, stylish, fragrant, racy...  

As I relaxed over a glass of their delicious wine I wondered if I would be able to resist wine living so close to a winery. (Haha!) xx         
(Updated)                       

A Little Time-Off

I'm taking a little break from blogging for a while. Just for fun, though, I'll be posting some old blog posts that you may not have seen, so please still visit regularly. Thank you so much. I will continue to visit your blogs whenever possible...

Wish you all a beautiful Friday and a fabulous weekend ahead! Enjoy life...no matter how hard it may seem... xx

Happy Valentine's Day!

I like to keep Valentine's Day low-key, but I love any reason to celebrate love! So what are you up to tonight? Whatever it is, I hope your day is filled with lots of love, smiles and sweet treats.
Let your loved ones know that you love and appreciate them not only on Valentine's Day but every single day.

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! xx

Happy Valentine's Day 2014: How people around the world celebrate

(Photos via andersruff.com )