Flying with wings!

Very lovely, how many different ones do you have now.

Thanks Bjs, I have 13 different types!!!!! Every one special!

Very beautiful flower. Title is almost a secret message.

wow that is a beautiful flower:))))

Gorgeous flower!

Very nice Sticki

thanks mark, louisa, homebird and surreylad

kat ~ i borrowed the title from a song but changed it a bit! 'flying without wings' is a westlife song.

How humorous.

Wow, this one is gorgeous!

absolutely stunning! never seen anything like this before!

It's gorgeous Sticki really beautiful :o)

That really is Lovely sticki

Another to add to my favourites.
Thanks, Sticki & thanks for suggesting the Morning Glory.

That is just beautiful, lucky lady.....

Very delicate and well marked flower.

thanks alex and karen, i love this one too
mushy, amy, linda, many thanks, it is still looking beautiful!
you are welcome mouldy ~ thank you!
very lucky DD

next one is on its way out but dont worry i wont put all of them on separately!!

i think its a treat every time i see this one.

It's gorgeous! Does it grow outside there?

Thanks delonix, it spends the summer outside but comes in to flower, Bampy is the expert!

I see many Pleione species/varieties growing outside at the San Diego Zoo. Of course, the SD Zoo has hundreds of species of orchids growing outside under trees.

I particularly like these pleiones ~ perhaps more than other orchids because they are so tiny and yet have so much thats interesting about them.

Yes, they're so pretty. However, there's so many thousands of gorgeous orchid hybrids out there for sale.

there are lots of orchids here and they have got cheaper, in fact you can often get them at bargain prices ~ i think thats why i have about 6 different ones ~ couldnt resist the cheap price.

the trouble is i now have 5 of them with no flowers???

Yes, the orchid prices have dropped considerably over the years.

That's the challenge is bringing them into bloom again. lol!
I'm so happy my pure yellow Cattleya has a flower bud. My Cattleyas didn't bloom last spring. I don't think my purple Cattleya is going to bloom again, this year (Cattleyas are suppose to be so easy to grow outside here in San Diego).

Am i right in thinking you can shock them into flowering by putting them out in the cold [but not frost!!!]

I'm not sure. I know many orchids bloom here in winter...they like the cooler weather. But, the weather here in San Diego never gets cold like where you live. In fact, we get typically get many winter heatwaves.

that makes me laugh! we dont often get heatwaves even in the summer!

That's funny! I'm sure get some pretty good summer heatwaves.

The only reason why we typically get so many winter heatwaves is due to the San Ana Winds or a SOSA (Sort of a Santa Ana) which causes the temps to skyrocket to more than 90ºF (32ºC), mostly in inland areas of Southern California. Sometimes we can have two or three weeks of well above temps. This has happened over the last 10 years...this year is the first time I remember temps during Jan/Feb of below normal so consistently (which is so very rare!).

If it wasnt for the gulf stream we would have something like Arctic circle weather but apparently it has been flowing further south recently which left us literally out in the cold!!

I've read about the changes in the Gulf Stream in recent years. It supposedly has to do with world-wide weather changes. If the Gulf Stream would stop flowing north the whole North-eastern section of the U.S. would have much harsher winters. Of course, this would affect all the U.K and the western sections of continental Europe, also. The oceans are the steering mechanisms for all the weather on earth.

We are affected greatly (in California), when we have an El Niño (warming Pacific Ocean) or La Niña (cooling Pacific Ocean) waters.

El Niño we learned about in geography but I haven't heard of La Niña,

It might take a monster sized wave machine to get the Gulf Stream to move back!

Yes, La Niña is just the opposite of El Niño. During La Niña years it tends to be very dry. Of course, El Niño brings the big, intense rain storms and major flooding (typically, depending on the strength).

The Gulf Stream is an under water current. It would not be the waves, per se. :>)

What's the difference between 'la' and 'el' ? Is it masculine and feminine form?

Underwater wave machine or giant turbo?.......to change current direction?

Yes, "El" is masculine and "La" is feminine.

This will explain the weather phenomena better.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Ni%C3%B1o%E2%80%93Southern_Oscillation

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Ni%C3%B1a

Here's another weather phenomenon (MJO) which affects the weather here on the west coast very dramatically.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madden%E2%80%93Julian_oscillation

thank you

El Niño meaning a boy and La Niña being a girl seems a little unfair since one is good and the other bad!

not think i would like the MJO to arrive here ~ although we have had such extreme weather lately perhaps that is what is to blame ~ its been diverted here?!

El Niño is capitalized and means "Christ Child".

Sorry to say: MJO affect the weather throughout the world just like El Niño and La Niña. It just affects the Pacific Ocean more extremely.

MJO has a lot to answer for!!!

A strong MJO affects our weather just as badly as a strong El Niño.

We never seem to win do we? The weather is so unpredictable!

I know it's been so chilly here the last three days. I can't believe how cold we've been feeling. The last three days the highs have been only about 62ºF (17 ºC) and cloudy, which is well below normal. However, tomorrow the temps will be rebounding and by Thursday temps will be back to 80ºF (27ºC).

Only 17!?!?would you like to borrow a coat?!

We are just beginning to see 17 on the thermometers but only in sheltered spots and not for long!

80?? Not sure we even have that on the thermometer any more?!

Yes, I needed a coat. LOL! We don't have much winter clothing here. Winter clothing here consist of shorts and t-shirts and slippers (flip-flops).

Today it was 72ºF tomorrow 80ºF and Friday 87ºF.

what??? no winter clothes? our shops might not survive without being able to sell 4 seasons worth of different clothes!!

my slippers are made of sheepskin ~ they are so cosy! winter clothing here consists of about 4 layers! fleeces, waterproofs, boots, hats, scarves, gloves etc!!!

They do sell winter clothing here. Most of the winter clothing here is for people who go to the mountains to go skiing. As far as wearing winter clothing here in San Diego, we don't typically need it. Seriously, most people use shorts, t-shirts all year here (of course not to work).

This past Jan/Feb we had below normal temps here in San Diego (which was extremely unusual) and it was difficult for me to dress, because I don't have much winter clothing at all.

San Diego, many times is referred to as the city with perpetual spring because the average annual daytime temp is 72ºF (22ºC). Inland areas get much, much hotter, though.

oh, skiing ~ now that really appeals, i have only been twice but i loved it!

perpetual spring would be very nice, although i do love autumn too!

We don't really have autumn here. It's just an extension of summer...with a little cooler nights.

ours is not that different but later on its much cooler

Some of the hottest temps ever recorded in Southern California and the San Diego Area have been recorded in Autumn. The official hottest day ever recorded in downtown San Diego (which is located right next to San Diego Bay) was on Sept. 26, 1963, the temp was 111ºF (43.9ºC); however, some of the inland and even coastal districts on the same day recorded temps to 121ºF (49.4ºC).

That's very strange - the winter of 63 will long be remembered here as one of the longest and coldest!

1963 was an unusually cool winter in San Diego, also (from what I've read). Jan of 1963 was the last time downtown San Diego ever recorded a freezing temperature, 50 years ago. Since 1850 San Diego has only recorded officially a freezing temperature only 7 times (it's very, very rare!) some parts of the city have never recorded freezing temps. San Diego has never, ever officially recorded any snow, either. Even Miami, Florida in Jan. 1977 recorded some snow flakes (which was extremely rare).

Must be a horrible shock to get such cold temperature ps when you are used to such hot temperatures. We are used to it being cold and almost expect it but must be worse for you.

P.s I didn't read about the 63 winter, I remember it, but I was only little!!!!;-))

Yes, it can be a big shock when temps drop form warm temps to cool temps in winter. A cold front will usually do this. Typically, cool weather doesn't stay for very long, generally only a two or three days.

In 1963, I was a baby living in Honolulu, Hawaii. LOL! My family has been in Hawaii for over 100 years.

Oh wow how fantastic! Surely that must be an idyllic childhood. Do you go back there?

Yes, I do go back. Although, I haven't been back since 2009. I used to back every other year.

It just looks one of the most beautiful places on earth ~ dont you miss it? I think islands are very special places!

Yes, I wish I was there this past January and February (during the cooler than normal temps). LOL! :>) I don't like cold weather at all! When the temps go below 60ºF (16ºC) us San Diegans are freezing and complaining to High Heaven!

Yes, Hawaii is a very special place. Honolulu has become very crowded, though. I don't like it very much anymore. Even in the district of Honolulu where many of my family members live in, Kalihi Valley, it's become pretty crowded.

I dont think you had better come to the UK ever! below 60??? thats what we mostly have!!! we call it cold when its 2ºC or under!!!!!

Its sad when a place is not as you remember it ~ when I was 8 I went to Switzerland on a holiday ~ it was beautiful but I have never wanted to go back because it will spoil the dream!!

I've been to Europe many times. Although, I've never been to the UK. I do really want to go one year, even though it's cold. LOL! :>)

I love Switzerland! That's one of my favorite countries in Europe. I found it not to be so crowded.

Im sure Switzerland is one of the most beautiful countries in the world and so very clean.
We stayed in a wooden chalet, looking out on a meadow of wild flowers ~ Im afraid there will now be hotels and other buildings around instead. It felt like being part of the children's story 'Heidi'!

there are some amazing places in the UK ~ would be very difficult to cover them all in one visit! But Scotland definitely deserves a visit

Switzerland is definitely a very clean country. This is why it reminded of a story book land. :>)

Do you live in Scotland?

If I go to the UK I definitely want to go England, Wales, Scotland. I would also love to visit Ireland (I know only north-eastern Ireland belongs to the UK).

I dream of Scotland, but sadly I dont live there. I live in England, holiday each year in Scotland.

Northern Island has the beautiful Giants causeway ~ more amazing than its photos; south west Ireland is beautiful, rural, peaceful, friendly ~ i loved it there;

Derbyshire is lovely in England, the Cotswolds [Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire] are typically what you may think of as English?? Devon too; Yorkshire has some amazing places,

Wales has some stunning landscapes, particularly in the north west but my favourite by a long way are the Hebriddean islands off the north west of Scotland. So many beautiful parts of Scotland ~ my favourite are the wild, remote places.