Festive times ahead

My next visitor arrives in under a week. As if by magic, it turns out there's a massive carnival during her stay - you can see pretty pictures here.

Unless there's a heat wave expected next week, people must drink a powerful amount before donning those costumes and stepping out. (At present the locals typically wear three layers of clothing). Brrr...

In other news, the six-month waiting period to see if my orchids flower is over. (You may recall my sister's kidlets planted the bulbs upside down for a time, so that was one setback. Of several.) I bought one of the here's-one-we-prepared-earlier variety. Purdy :)