Lovely to see everyone from our writing group yesterday on a cold but bright, frosty morning at the Ulster Museum and Belfast's Botanic Gardens.
And what an inspiring backdrop! It was good fun to try something new, being at one with nature to gather ideas for writing and to realise the importance of researching thoroughly when thinking of the setting.
And how fortunate that we were at the Palm House to see a most unusual plant - the Voodoo Arum which has never flowered in Belfast before and only flowers for 48 hours.
Such vibrant colours, delicate perfumes, exotic plants, differing temperatures and atmospheres, sounds, our senses were battered in a short space of time.
Lovely to see this poem by an old friend, Lindsay, hanging in the Palm House. We paused to read it.
There has to be time to stop and stare and soak everything in and to find inspiration throughout the palm houses.
Lovely coffee and cakes in the museum cafe followed by more coffee in the university library cafe. Looking forward to seeing what develops from the ideas we gathered and to seeing everyone again next month.
