Mermaids...

"But a mermaid has no tears and therefore

 she suffers so much more."

HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN

 'Mermaids' 1914

 ARTHUR RACKHAM 

'The Mermaid' 1900

J.W.WATERHOUSE

'The Fisherman and the Siren' 1856-1858

LORD FREDERIC-LEIGHTON

'The Lady from the Sea' 1896

EDVARD MUNCH

'Seduction of the Faithful'  1483

(a woodcut from the Nurenburg Bible)

Noah appears a little perturbed as his fellow passengers are being enticed by the mermaids...

"The day before, when the Admiral was going to the Rio del Oro, he said he saw three mermaids who came quite high out of the water but were not as pretty as they are depicted, for somehow in the face they looked like men. He said that he saw some in Guinea on the coast of Manegueta."

from the diary of Christopher Columbus, January 1493 

Rice, with a Balinese Slant...

The first time that I saw rice growing in South East Asia I was mesmerised by the sheer brilliance of the colour of this emerald green crop. Rice growing in Bali has transformed the natural landscape and the island is abundant with spectacular rice terraces carved out of the rich, volcanic, fecund earth. The rice cycle in Bali lasts for three months, so they manage to harvest rice three times a year. It is an incredibly thirsty and labour intensive crop involving highly advanced agricultural techniques. 

Rice growing is the fabric of Balinese life and their culture incorporates a daily ritual where rice is presented as an offering to the Balinese Gods.

At the beginning of the rice cycle the paddies are

 flooded and ploughed and then the rice seeds

 are planted into a small section of the irrigated paddy.

Once the seedlings have grown, they are transplanted...

Individually by hand, into the mud...

Only with the nutrients from the rich soil and constant

 submersion in water can the rice seedling flourish.

As many as 10,000 seedlings are planted at one time...

The rice fields have their own eco-systems. 

Tiny snails, fish, and eels are 'harvested'
 from the flooded paddies.

The rice paddies and terraces have ancient 

 and complex irrigation systems in place.

The rice here has been growing for around three weeks...

And of course the Balinese ducks are in their element 

and play a huge part in the Balinese rice cycle...

Sooooo green...

Rice here is nearly ripe for harvesting...

I noticed flocks of tiny birds hovering like insects in the rice plumes.

Like giant steps...

The rice is around a metre in height when it is harvested.

Each rice plant will have hundreds of seeds.

Lush rice terraces can be seen all over the island...

Spectacular scenery of volcano, tropical plants 

and rice terraces. The rice workers are resting in the bale.

Man at one with the landscape...

Rice is grown here on a small, steep parcel
 of land that leads down to the sea...

Hand-sculpted tier upon tier...

The rice is ready for harvesting.

 The rice stems are cut with a small sharp knife and then tied into bundles...

Then the rice is threshed...

To separate the grain from the chaff...

The ducks are fattened up as they clean up

 any stray rice seeds left behind after harvesting.

Time for a break...

Golden fields of ripened rice.

The rice is traditionally harvested by women...

And is finally laid out to dry in the hot sun before being stored.

OK, I know that I look ridiculous but I am wearing 

an old-fashioned Balinese sun hat that 

was specifically worn when working in the rice fields.

 Just a little too awkward and heavy for me...

A Balinese ceremony taking place at a sea temple.

During temple prayer the priest will press a few grains of 

rice to the forehead, temple and throat of worshippers, 

with the final few eaten and sprinkled on the head.

Daily offerings include flowers, incense and rice.
Everyday a little rice is placed on a banana leaf as an offering.

Beautiful Balinese offerings at a temple in Ubud.

The rice goddess 'Dewi Sri' is the most favoured 

manifestation of God amongst the Balinese people.

"Bali belongs to the Gods. The inhabitants are no more than transitory tenants of the land, who cultivate it and are nourished from its yield during the short span of the body's residence on earth. People die, but the earth remains the property of the Gods."

JANE BELO: BALI TEMPLE FESTIVAL 1953

Paradise in Pemuteran, Bali

'As Balinese religion and art is an amalgam of Indian, Chinese,

and other Asian influences,

Bali style is a unique combination of South East Asian construction materials,

the ornate decorative styles of Javanese royal courts,

and the conveniences of a Western suburban home...'

BALI STYLE

 2011

Bart Speelman and Nico Kaandorp's incredible villa, surrounded by mountains, oceans and Javanese volcanos; situated in the unspoilt north of Bali, totally blew us away! We felt so privileged to stay in their home and we sooooo didn't want to leave this perfect, laid back (like the boys) piece of heaven on earth. I felt that it had to have its very own posting, to do it justice...

We stopped off in a picturesque mountain village for lunch,

 in a misty cloud, on our way to our villa in the north of Bali.

The spectacular scenery was a mixture of hazy volcanic mountains,

 lush, emerald-green rice terraces, 

coffee and spice plantations and drifts of soft blue hydrangeas.

We arrive at the villa in the early evening. Jeda villa is rurally situated

just outside the small village of Pemuteran in the far north of Bali.

 Its setting is absolutely spectacular...

A stunning open plan villa, our home, for a short while...

Spectacular traditional Indonesian architecture.

A beautifully designed interior...

With masses of space...

For us all to spread out...

Lots of comfy sofas...

Loads of chilling space...

 Modern contemporary art...

 Mixed with ancient traditional designs...

All modern conveniences...

Wonderful bathrooms...

And outdoor showers...

 An amazing team of housekeepers and cooks...

 Who produced from the villa kitchen...

 The most delicious Balinese food...

 Amazing freshly caught fish...

When you were indoors you were also outside...

Always at one with nature...

The hand-carved bale upholstered in the traditional Balinese 'poleng' fabric.

The spectacular tropical gardens that wrap around the villa...

The villa is eco-friendly with electricity being supplied by solar panels...

The villa's swimming pool with the mountains as a backdrop, so tranquil...

 Another view of the amazing pool.

 As the sun was setting in the evening, swallows would fly 

over the pool skimming the surface of the water in their search for insects,

 then as the evening darkened we watched tiny bats doing the same.

The serene lotus pond within the villa's manicured grounds.

The cute but noisy resident villa gecko...

A butterfly visiting the garden...

We enjoyed the visiting  insect life too...

A purple vine flower...

Pale pink lotus buds in the garden pond...

One of the villa's banana trees in flower.

Bamboo in the garden...

Mulberries were in abundance...

A vivid orange African Tulip Tree flower.

A perfect white lotus flower in paradise...

Where there is beauty there is serenity,

 whether it be the work of nature or man...

We had so many plans of what we were going to see and do while we were staying at the villa; but once we had arrived in our little piece of Balinese paradise, we didn't really need to venture further afield...

"No changing of places at a hundred miles an hour

 will make us one wit stronger, happier or wiser.

They will see it no better for going fast.

 The really precious things are thought and sight, not pace.

It does a bullet no good to go fast; 

and a man, if he has truly a desire to be a man,

 no harm there is to go slow;

 for his glory is not at all in going, but in being."

JOHN RUSKIN