As well as the beautiful landscaped gardens with water features and sculpture, there is also a large kitchen garden. Wandering through this is like being in a perfumers! . . .

No cropping on this image!

I’d never seen one of these butterflies before, and nor had the couple walking the towpath in front of me…then we saw another about ten metres away! Extremely well camouflaged (probably why we’d not spotted them before) they were the only two I saw all afternoon.

This isn’t a new image in that it was taken some time ago (maybe 18 months) on a cold, frosty day in Gent. I’ve chosen it, and the title, for a couple of reasons. I love how the leaf is a miniature tree in it’s own right.

“Language… has created the word “loneliness” to express the pain of being alone. And it has created the word “solitude” to express the glory of being alone.” “It’s so lonely when you don’t even know yourself.”