2 Beautiful Flower Photo Collections for Floral Friday

Spring is in bloom. Believe me, my ear, throat, eyes and nose are only too well aware of that reality.

For allergy sufferers  the season brings the bad with the good. As trees bud and lawns sprout they can carry a ton of misery for some of us.  Nonetheless, we look forward eagerly to the bursts of colours, to the greening of trees and lawns.

Then of course there are the flowers. Having just returned from Florida I am missing the kaleidoscopic palette in gardens and on boulevards. Gorgeous bougainvillea of multiple hues, flowerbeds of resplendent design, highlighted the morning and afternoon walks during our vacation. My three-year-old granddaughter was enchanted by the vibrant pinks, reds, yellows and purples, drawing our attention to the beauty at every turn.

For these jaded eyes, it became a delightful ritual. Too often in our busy world we take a lot of the beauty around us for granted. We forget to take the few seconds required to appreciate it, to breathe it in and let it chase away cares and stress.  "So beautiful",  our sweet Little Missy would say and my gaze would follow hers. The exotic aesthetic she challenged me to see throughout the days was cheap therapy.

Returning home to gardens in the first stage of reawakening, it wasn't long for me to realize how much I missed those flowers. For  this Floral Friday then I decided to feature some wonderful photo collections to stir my recent pleasant memories and remind me of blooms ahead:

iPHOTOS.com Floral Friday Photos

Clipart.com Flower Photos

124 Illustrations Depicting Calm and Serenity

Well, I'm home from the sunny south, bringing with me a healthy glow and a nasty cold. I relaxed and revived in sunshine and sand,  ate and drank,  leaving the island sated and satisfied.  The vacation affirmed my preference for balmy temperatures and my aversion to air travel. With the exception of the latter, the entire experience was just the treat I needed.

Coming back to the real world from such a blissful holiday makes the return gentler.  A sense of calmness envelops me and the little stresses that can keep our days from being less than resplendent are easily viewed as inconsequential.  For 10 glorious days I was soothed into a state of well being by the warmth of the sun, the music of sand and surf and a change of scenery.

What inspires and sustains us, relaxes and rejuvenates us differs from person to person.  While a ride on a snowmobile trail can bring contentment to my hubby — the adrenalin rush of a dash over open fields  or the peace of a winter wood  easing away life's tensions for him — I am always at my best in sun-soaked environments.  The warmth takes me to a place of serenity, where the waves lapping at shores and the gentle call of the birds provide the perfect soundtrack.

With the peace of mind that accompanies me on this day, I scoped out some clipart  in keeping with my mood. Decide which represents your idea of calm and serenity from this wonderful collection of illustrations:

iCLIPART.com Illustrations of Calm and Serenity