2022/4/1 - DUKE GARDENS
DIRECTOR'S CUT EXTENDED EDITION

This is the Director's Cut Extended Edition for this album, meaning I have included many photos which don't meet my typical artistic standards because they hold special memories for me. If you are looking for a shorter and higher quality collection, visit the curated Theatrical Cut at DUKE GARDENS APRIL 2022 - THEATRICAL RELEASE. If you would like to see a more experimental colour edit, try the pastel rainbows of DUKE GARDENS APRIL 2022 - BUT MAKE IT ~A VIBE~.

It was a gorgeous morning to be out and about. I quietly snuck around some birds in a fruitless attempt to not scare them off. Sometimes I wonder if my slow movements just make me look like a suspicious predator. Having done absolutely no research on current blooms, I was pleasantly surprised by an abundance of cherry blossoms all over the Asiatic Arboretum. The trees laid down a carpet of petals as if I was the world's most beautiful bride. Unfortunately, the bees out today were really into these flowers, so they were all 50 feet up in the air where I couldn't get a good photo. The Pollening was still in full swing, so I was constantly brushing particles off my camera and kept the lens cap on as much as possible. A condensed mass of pollen was getting pushed around in the pond, congealing around the edges as if it was trying to expand the shore. Bees were absolutely overwhelmed with pollen all over their face and body. It was so thick in the air you could almost taste the trees.

The terraced gardens had been populated by tulips in what appeared to be every single colour. My favourite were the dark maroons, but they also made the abundance of green particles more apparent in contrast. I watched a poor squirrel get chased away by several small children ('I almost touched it!' No, you didn't). Turtled laid on rocks in the pond with their legs and/or flippers stretched way out behind them, soaking up the spring sun. I was impressed with their bravery not to get easily spooked like many of their brethren - I guess they get a lot of human exposure here. I was thinking I might leave soon when I spotted one of my favourite birds across the water. The Great Blue Herons I've seen before were not big fans of company, so I didn't think I could get closer. I squatted and waited half an hour to see if he would go anywhere or hunt. He seemed content to preen. A pair of ducks swam right up next to me, as unafraid as the turtles. I squatted.

Tired of squatting, I got up and made my way closer to the heron, playing a sort of Red Light, Green Light, moving when he was distracted pulling out stray feathers. It turns out there was no need to be so careful, because this guy is super chill. I probably got about 15 feet away when I finally sat down, not pushing any farther because I like to stay respectful. He never did anything more than make himself look beautiful, but I was perfectly content just to hang out and watch a cool guy do his thing. Guys, I took two hundred and forty photos of this one bird doing nothing.