Life in Islamabad - time to smell the roses

Australian photographer in Pakistan

Instagram @gaynor.shaw.photography

During these difficult Covid-19 times I am trying to stay home and thought I should use the time to practice some macro photography. I am very fortunate to have a wonderful garden, looked after by some excellent gardeners. In English we have a saying that to be able to grow plants well you have a ‘green thumb’. I have no such skill, in fact my boys say I have the exact opposite a ‘black thumb’!

A couple of months ago my gardeners took me to some local nurseries in Islamabad to pick plants for the garden to make sure it looked it’s best in spring. Nurseries here are not like nurseries back home. Back home every pot contains a label with a picture so that you know what the plant will look like once grown, information on where and when you should plant it, how much water it requires and what type of soil it likes. There were no such labels here. I did see one label that said petunias - at least I knew what a petunia looked like. Instead each nursery had a team of knowledgeable people and I also had the encyclopaedic knowledge of my gardeners. In depth discussions were held and plant choices made. I was no help in the decision making but it was very nice of everyone to try and include me. I wandered around with my camera enjoying the experience. After days of rain I was happy to see the sun come out, washing being hung out to dry and plants shining with raindrops.

There is a cliché that says ‘stop and smell the roses’. The original quote is from Walter Hagen who said ‘You’re only here for a short visit. Don’t hurry, don’t worry. And be sure to smell the flowers along the way”. These seem to be apt words for our current times.

Petunias!

Dahlia

Banyan Tree

Postcard from Islamabad - Fatima Jinnah Park

Photographer in Pakistan

Monument - Fatima Jinnah Park

Islamabad is a planned city, split into different zones. It is an easy city to get around as each sector is given a letter and a number. Each residential sector covers a block, an area of approximately 2km by 2km.

F9 is given over entirely to Fatima Jinnah Park. The park has lots of walking paths through natural grasslands and trees. As I went out early on a cold and foggy morning it was eerily beautiful with dew gathering on leaves and branches, trees and park benches were opaque in the fog.

As it was cold and because the park is large I hardly saw another person. The few people I did see were jogging or walking briskly to keep warm.

I also came across three women cutting firewood. I didn’t speak to them but I am guessing that the firewood will be used for cooking, keeping warm and perhaps some of it will be sold.

I will return to Fatima Jinnah Park, when the weather is a little warmer.

Australian bottlebrush - a beautiful reminder of home