Post with Many Flowers and a Squirrel

The now traditional Sakura celebration taking place in ELTE's botanical garden is the best excuse for going on a mindless flower shooting rampage and not feeling bad about it- frankly, I never feel bad about flower shooting rampages, but this one simply has a particular charm.

This year the event was spread over two weekends- which was rather fortunate, as last week's weather was not necessarily dreamed up for carelessly frolicking under the cherry blossoms. Naturally, it was last weekend that the blossoms were actually in full bloom, so that the famed prunus japonica of the garden was by now exhibiting no flowers but tiny baby cherries.

There was other silliness as well-  I wonder where this world is going if plants can't be trusted to keep a schedule- yes, I know, it's us changing the climate so most likely it's going to the dogs. Returning to our more mundane matters, the tulips were mostly faded this time, but there were already plenty of peonies and even lily of the valley, of which it was clearly specified that it should bloom in May. 

Although something was aflame with flowers in every corner of the garden, I managed to take a break and shoot a kumquat and a chinotto too, and even recommended the last one as the 'Campari fruit', well, at least I know the bottle doesn't grow straight on the tree, enticing as that might sound. And there was a pretty fat squirrel too, inspecting the crowds with a certain disgust and then perching itself on the highest branch it could locate, probably in a bid to feel decidedly superior.

I obviously have not footage of the Sakura events themselves- as they are not flowers, but there was some Japanese archery going on, people painted Kokeshi dolls and played go. No tea testing this time though, which is pretty much a humbug, but then again I can have Japanese tea any time of the year, but the cherry blossoms bloom but once- and that was last week.