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Sunday 11 May 2014

An abundance of (mostly green) tea!





Cherry blossom tea - we were given this on our arrival at the ryokan (traditional guest house) in Kyoto. It was very salty and served with a slice of watermelon which balanced the taste.



I loved this teapot which was also in the ryokan for us to serve ourselves green tea.



Tea was offered on arrival or available at every restaurant. This is at a fantastic sushi train place in Kyoto which had lightly flavoured green tea on tap! By this stage of the trip I was really enjoying green tea after drinking so much of it!



As green is my favourite colour I just loved seeing the many shades of it and the way it contrasts so beautifully with the cups. 



 
Green tea bags - all the way from Kyoto! Now in my kitchen in Sydney waiting to be enjoyed during a quiet moment - or used to encourage some quiet when it's needed.

 

Tuesday 6 May 2014

The Planthunter

I am very excited and just have to tell you that I have had a story published in the wonderful online magazine The Plant Hunter - http://theplanthunter.com.au/

I have written about childhood, children, and the natural world - something very close to my heart, and it's such a wonderful feeling to know that someone else believes that my ideas and thinking are worth sharing.

Have a good read and look at the rest of The Plant Hunter too. I love the concept behind it - a place to document and celebrate the connections between plants and humans.

Vanna xxx





One of the many beautiful flower displays we saw in Japan.

The hydrangeas remind me of my childhood. They were favourites of my Oma and my brother. Oma used to have big bushes of them growing at the front of her house, and I was always intrigued by the way she covered them up with sheets in the middle of the day to protect them from the sun.