New Look

Finally, I have a picture of my very own for my blog header. The earlier, gorgeous one -

was taken from Google, if I remember correctly (obviously taken by professionals). This new one up there is a photo we took while on holiday in New Zealand, in April of this year (we're not professionals but the picture is beautiful anyway).

In case you wondered why this blogspot name is tree-shades, well, I wanted a name that had something to do with trees (the actual name for the blog is Walk with Me, but we couldn't get that header in earlier on, no matter what we tried).

(New Zealand 2011)


You did wonder why my blogspot had such a strange name, didn't you?

Didn't you? (cue sound of a cow mooing in the far distance beyond the hills...)

However, whichever name Tammy my daughter, tried to register my blog with, like "Under the Shade of a Tree", "Sitting Under a Tree" etc, it was somehow taken up...so I had to settle for tree-shades (planted a hyphen right in the middle so nobody could possibly have a similar name). And , that, dear folks, is how this odd name came about.

See? I knew you'd find that interesting....(above mentioned cow in the far distance beyond the hills just mooooved away)

I loooove trees...we just kinda blend together. Can you see?

(NZ 2011)


I think it has a lot to do with the fact that my growing up years were spent
- climbing trees
- building tree houses
- picking pink water jambu, bananas, papayas, mangosteens and rambutans from trees in our backyard or in the neighbourhood.

The house we grew up in was a humongous government house, with a very large garden in front, and another at the back.
And a lot of our time (I have two sisters and three brothers)...

(Freeman Road, Kuala Lumpur, maybe 1967)


....was spent outdoors
- using nets to catch butterflies from the hedges around our house
- scooping up tadpoles and colourful guppies from the drains
- trapping birds with a propped up cardboard box, long string trailing up to our hand, awaiting our victim
- collecting grasshoppers in glass jars with holes pierced through the lid
- playing 'rounders' with a broken wooden beam
- catching and making spiders 'fight' each other on top of matchboxes...

(what? you didn't do all that when you were young?)


So I think being among trees calms me. See how calm I am (in the middle) leaning against a tree?

Oh, wait...that's not a tree. That's my husband.
Ok, but you get my point...
- strong
- stalwart
- dependable
(yes, yes, our anniversary is coming and yes, yes, I'll be happy with just chocolateS, dear. Muak! and don't think I don't know you are reading all my blog posts. And do read this one carefully. I did not say I wanted a tree..) Why do I get the feeling I'm barking up the wrong tree? Tsk.

Really, I love trees so much that if you ever discover an unnamed tree, name it after me! Maybe Pithecellobium Valerenia.


(NZ, 2011)

I came across a beautiful quote on trees:

We can learn a lot from trees: they're always grounded but never stop reaching heavenward. - Everett Mamor

Why wouldn't they? It's natural instinct for Creation (including you and me) to reach heavenward towards the Creator. I can't imagine otherwise!

And I found beautiful trees posing with my daughters.
I mean, my beautiful daughters posing with trees.
My beautiful daughters posing with beautiful trees.
Ok, it's correct now.

(Joni, Singapore 2010)


(Tammy, NZ 2011)





Ummm...
.
.
.
.


Got a caption for my Hero up there? I mean, in there? sighhhhhh....

I might share my much-anticipated chocolates (Cadburybarwithhazelnutsoralmondsplease thankyou) with you.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

Nehhhhhhh. Not likely.