I see trees that are green, red roses too...

Today my husband (officially!) became a Doctor of Philosophy. Now, he's had his PhD for about two years but the Uni of Zagreb decided to give him the piece of paper that he worked four long hard years for today.

The ceremony has, in the words of my daughter, become a bit "posh" of late. It used to be held at the Chancellory to an audience of zero with the PhD's attired in their, more or less, everyday workgear (nice clothes, preferably, but not necessarily, with a tie). Now the ceremony is more akin to an Illuminati/secret society meeting - perculiar hats and robes, men bearing sceptres and chains around their necks, lots of latin being spoken, pledges of obedience...but I have to admit that, despite the Illuminati overtones, I like the latter version more than the former...reminds me a bit of my graduation...sigh!

But the highlight of the day (to me anyway!) was the Chancellor's reception afterwards in the Zagreb Botanical Gardens. Now, while hubby was mingling with the Illuminati, the kids and I went off to explore the gardens. I'd been to the gardens a few times before but I hadn't been in a while. And I have to say that it was nice to be in them again. They're not gargantuan compared to Sydney (I sometimes could not actually find my way out of the Sydney Botanical Gardens!) but they are lovely nonetheless, an oasis from the hustle and bustle of the city, with inspiration for photographs in every nook and cranny. Here are a few that I took today:

Jools, ever acting the princess, waiting for her frog prince to leap out of the water...

This is the band that played today, a saxiphone quartet. They're students of the Musical Academy in Zagreb and were real cute. They played a wonderful rendition of West Side Story. I think "Officer Krupky" was their favourite - they sort of played it again and again and again...would have preferred "Tonight" or "Somewhere"...

The main lake

An exhibition of pressed leaves, something hubby did during his undergraduate days...he doesn't have fond memories of the botanical gardens 'cause he always had to sneak there and steal as many leaves as he could for his collection...woe to him when he got caught...

The pavillion with cactii and insect eating plants inside...and the Illuminati outside...

A water lily, one of my favourite flowers...apparently, it is a symbol of purity of heart

And one of my favourite photos taken today, one I entitled "flowers smiling at the sky"...

Congrats, dear hubby! Thanks for the lovely day!