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I've been having a miserable (self-pitying) week of it here in Tripoli - had back ache all week, and it is the middle of my rotation of 6 weeks - which is always a miserable time - can't see the end in sight  - and I'm only going to be home for two weekends and i could go on for several paragraphs (and did - you can thank the delete button for not having to ignore it). However there are several guys out here who are having a much worse time - they are from the Philipines where the two hurricanes have just struck so I can be grateful that my house and family aren't stuck in a disaster zone like there's are while they are away working for the yankee dollar.
Anyhow I need some cheer me-up pictures to get out of my self-obsessive misery so here they are - one of my favorite flowers - hibiscus - in one of my favorite places in Aberdeen - the Winter Gardens in duthie park. There is always something interesting in there, something to get excited about especially as I never went to Aberdeen until after I had been in Fiji for five years.
because the flowers remind me of those times (and the cacti and bromeliad house remind me of being a teenager in Grimsby)there is always something to look at and something to bring a grin of nostalgia or of recognition to me.
They say flowers are good for the soul... okay I say it and the 247 other hits on that phrase in Yahoo search  almost all of which seem to be florists - big suprise there, not - on the second page two of the hits are particularly relevant to me - one from Grimsby and one from Grampian - I wouldn't have expected almost 1% of the hits to be directly related to my blog post - synchronicity maybe. hope so.
Anyhow hibiscus plant - there are a few blooming in Tripoli that I pass each morning on theway to work and now even posting the pictures and talking about themm has lifted my spirits - it is true then - grow flowers, grow happiness... now where have i heard that before?
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