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Social media snaps map the sweep of Japan’s cherry blossom season in unprecedented detail

<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/adrian-dyer-387798">Adrian Dyer</a>, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a></em>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/alan-dorin-12573">Alan Dorin</a>, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a></em>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/carolyn-vlasveld-1442834">Carolyn Vlasveld</a>, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a></em>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/moataz-elqadi-1442833">Moataz ElQadi</a>, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a></em></p> <p>Social media contains enormous amounts of data about people, our everyday lives, and our interactions with our surroundings. As a byproduct, it also contains a vast trove of information about the natural world.</p> <p>In a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0367253023001019#sec0024a">new study published in Flora</a>, we show how social media can be used for “incidental citizen science”. From photos posted to a social site, we mapped countrywide patterns in nature over a decade in relatively fine detail.</p> <p>Our case study was the annual spread of cherry blossom flowering across Japan, where millions of people view the blooming each year in a cultural event called “hanami”. The flowering spreads across Japan in a wave (“<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherry_blossom_front">sakura zensen</a>” or 桜前線) following the warmth of the arriving spring season.</p> <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/529000/original/file-20230530-15-mix84k.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/529000/original/file-20230530-15-mix84k.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/529000/original/file-20230530-15-mix84k.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/529000/original/file-20230530-15-mix84k.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/529000/original/file-20230530-15-mix84k.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/529000/original/file-20230530-15-mix84k.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/529000/original/file-20230530-15-mix84k.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="ALT TEXT" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Celebrating the cherry blossom is a centuries-old tradition in Japan.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure> <p>The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanami">hanami festival</a> has been documented for centuries, and research shows climate change is making <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ac6bb4">early blossoming more likely</a>. The advent of mobile phones – and social network sites that allow people to <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1574954116302321">upload photos tagged with time and location data</a> – presents a new opportunity to study how Japan’s flowering events are affected by seasonal climate.</p> <h2>Why are flowers useful to understand how nature is being altered by climate change?</h2> <p>Many flowering plants, including the cherry blossoms of Japan (<em>Prunus</em> subgenus <em>Cerasus</em>), require insect pollination. To reproduce, plant flowers bloom at optimal times to receive visits from insects like bees.</p> <p>Temperature is <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0200549">an important mechanism</a> for plants to trigger this flowering. <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/j.1461-0248.2008.01269.x">Previous research</a> has highlighted how climate change may create mismatches in space or time between the blooming of plants and the emergence of pollinating insects.</p> <p><iframe id="rtiQ0" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: none;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/rtiQ0/2/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0"></iframe></p> <p>It has been difficult for researchers to map the extent of this problem in detail, as its study requires simultaneous data collection over large areas. The use of citizen science images deliberately, or incidentally, uploaded to social network sites enables <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_data">big data</a> solutions.</p> <h2>How did we conduct our study?</h2> <p>We collected images from Japan uploaded to <a href="https://www.flickr.com/">Flickr</a> between 2008 and 2018 that were tagged by users as “cherry blossoms”. We used computer vision techniques to analyse these images, and to provide sets of keywords describing their image content.</p> <p>Next, we automatically filtered out images appearing to contain content that the computer vision algorithms determined didn’t match our targeted cherry blossoms. For instance, many contained images of autumn leaves, another popular ecological event to view in Japan.</p> <p>The locations and timestamps of the remaining cherry blossom images were then used to generate marks on a map of Japan showing the seasonal wave of sakura blossoms, and to estimate peak bloom times each year in different cities.</p> <h2>Checking the data</h2> <p>An important component of any scientific investigation is validation – how well does a proposed solution or data set represent the real-world phenomenon under study?</p> <figure class="align-right zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528702/original/file-20230528-21-4fxpkv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528702/original/file-20230528-21-4fxpkv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528702/original/file-20230528-21-4fxpkv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=591&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528702/original/file-20230528-21-4fxpkv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=591&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528702/original/file-20230528-21-4fxpkv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=591&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528702/original/file-20230528-21-4fxpkv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=743&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528702/original/file-20230528-21-4fxpkv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=743&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528702/original/file-20230528-21-4fxpkv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=743&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /></a><figcaption><span class="caption">Blossom dates calculated from social media images compare well with official data.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">ElQadi et al.</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure> <p>Our study using social network site images was validated against the detailed information published by the <a href="https://www.japan.travel/en/see-and-do/cherry-blossom-forecast-2023/">Japan National Tourism Organization</a>.</p> <p>We also manually examined a subset of images to confirm the presence of cherry flowers.</p> <p>Plum flowers (<em>Prunus mume</em>) look very similar to cherry blossoms, especially to tourists, and they are frequently mistaken and mislabelled as cherry blossoms. We used visible “notches” at the end of cherry petals, and other characteristics, to distinguish cherries from plums.</p> <p>Taken together, the data let us map the flowering event as it unfolds across Japan.</p> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528769/original/file-20230529-17-wmgf5g.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528769/original/file-20230529-17-wmgf5g.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528769/original/file-20230529-17-wmgf5g.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=619&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528769/original/file-20230529-17-wmgf5g.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=619&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528769/original/file-20230529-17-wmgf5g.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=619&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528769/original/file-20230529-17-wmgf5g.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=777&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528769/original/file-20230529-17-wmgf5g.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=777&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528769/original/file-20230529-17-wmgf5g.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=777&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="An animated map showing cherry blossom flowering across Japan" /></a><figcaption><span class="caption">Images uploaded to social media over a ten year period 2008-2018, let us map the cherry blossom front as it sweeps across Japan.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">ElQadi et al.</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure> <h2>Out-of-season blooms</h2> <p>Our social network site analysis was sufficiently detailed to accurately pinpoint the annual peak spring bloom in the major cities of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo">Tokyo</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyoto">Kyoto</a>, to within a few days of official records.</p> <p>Our data also revealed the presence of a consistent, and persistent, out-of-season cherry bloom in autumn. Upon further searching, we discovered that this “unexpected” seasonal bloom had also been noted in <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-45898333">mainstream media</a> in recent years. We thus confirmed that this is a real event, not an artefact of our study.</p> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528832/original/file-20230529-25-wonef0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528832/original/file-20230529-25-wonef0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528832/original/file-20230529-25-wonef0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528832/original/file-20230529-25-wonef0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528832/original/file-20230529-25-wonef0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528832/original/file-20230529-25-wonef0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528832/original/file-20230529-25-wonef0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528832/original/file-20230529-25-wonef0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /></a><figcaption><span class="caption">Cherry blossom photographs from Flickr taken within Japan from 2008 to 2018 show an April peak as well as an unexpected smaller peak in November.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">ElQadi et al.</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure> <p>So, even without knowing it, many of us are already helping to understand how climate change influences our environment, simply by posting online photographs we capture. Dedicated sites like <a href="https://wildpollinatorcount.com/">Wild Pollinator Count</a> are excellent resources to contribute to the growing knowledge base.</p> <p>The complex issues of climate change are still being mapped. Citizen science allows our daily observations to improve our understanding, and so better manage our relationship with the natural world.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/206574/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/adrian-dyer-387798">Adrian Dyer</a>, Associate Professor, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a></em>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/alan-dorin-12573">Alan Dorin</a>, Associate Professor, Faculty of Information Technology, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a></em>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/carolyn-vlasveld-1442834">Carolyn Vlasveld</a>, PhD candidate, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a></em>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/moataz-elqadi-1442833">Moataz ElQadi</a>, Adjunct Researcher, Faculty of Information Technology, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/social-media-snaps-map-the-sweep-of-japans-cherry-blossom-season-in-unprecedented-detail-206574">original article</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

Technology

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A mother’s love story blossoms from a family reunion 40 years in the making

<p dir="ltr">When Helen Mansfield took to social media in search of her biological mother, she could never have foreseen the good fortune she’d bring about - not only to herself, but to those she held most dear, too. </p> <p dir="ltr">It was in 2016 that Helen posted to Facebook, hoping to connect with her mother - who had given her up when Helen was only 10 days old. </p> <p dir="ltr">And a mere five hours later, someone did reach out, informing Helen that her mother was in the United Kingdom, and that her name was Glenda Joy.  </p> <p dir="ltr">Helen, on the other hand, was in Perth, Australia. She’d been adopted by a Welsh couple, but had moved to Perth after marrying an Australian - with whom she shares two daughters.</p> <p dir="ltr">Four decades of mystery had gone by, but after that stranger on Facebook had set her on the right path, things had quickly fallen into place. </p> <p dir="ltr">As Helen informed<em> 7News</em>, “straight away, we knew each other. [She] gave me a big hug and said ‘I feel I just won the lottery’.”</p> <p dir="ltr">It should have marked the end of that happy chapter for Helen and Glen, but Helen’s adoptive dad, Gwyn, had other ideas. </p> <p dir="ltr">Because when Helen introduced the two - as her biological mother and her adoptive father - they immediately felt a connection, and set out on a number of adventures together, enjoying everything from the cricket to the beach, and last but certainly not least, a kiss. </p> <p dir="ltr">“I went in to Helen,” Glen recounted, “and I said ‘I’ve got something to say’. </p> <p dir="ltr">“I said ‘your dad kissed me’.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Glen added that she hadn’t been expecting it, but that wasn’t a bad thing, as she’d very much “wanted it to happen”.</p> <p dir="ltr">And it was only good times from there, with the unexpected couple getting married in the United Kingdom after enjoying a commitment ceremony in Perth with Helen as their joyous celebrant.</p> <p dir="ltr">They have every intention of returning to Australia, too, for a trip packed full of celebration with Gwyn’s 80th and the upcoming birth of a great-grandchild.</p> <p dir="ltr">But at the end of the day, Helen is “just really happy it happened”, and holds hope in her heart that their story will offer encouragement to anyone else in a similar position, searching for their biological or long-lost families. </p> <p dir="ltr">“I hope that anybody else - you know, it probably won’t go this far because this is a different story - but anybody else who wants to reach out and find their birth mother,” she added, “should try and do it.” </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: 7News</em></p>

Relationships

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REVIEW: Blossom Bar

<p dir="ltr">Feeling a little bored and want to break up the week? Looking for new places to add to your rotation? Look no further than Blossom Bar.</p> <p dir="ltr">Situated in Sydney’s Chippendale Spice Alley, Blossom Bar is a small cocktail hideaway, something you’d likely find walking through the back streets of Tokyo. The venue is intimate and alluring, with different Japanese inspired drinks on the menu that form part of the unique experience. </p> <p dir="ltr">On a Wednesday night, the team at Over60 decided to make it a date and see what Blossom Bar had to offer. </p> <p dir="ltr">Once seated (not too difficult on a Wednesday), we immediately ordered food and drink. The service was quick and the staff seemed to be super confident and efficient. </p> <p dir="ltr">The way the drinks were served and presented made the experience a stand-out and had everyone </p> <p dir="ltr">Starting off strong, the drinks of choice were:</p> <p dir="ltr">The ‘Yuzu Sparkler’ (Japanese gin, yuzu, yuzu bitters, prosecco), served with an actual sparkler, this cocktail looked too pretty to drink. It wasn’t overwhelmingly sweet and had quite a refreshing and citrusy taste to it. </p> <p dir="ltr">The Blossom Martini (Japanese rice gin, maraschino, house-made sakura vermouth). This drink was high on the sweetness scale and I wouldn’t recommend it to those who don’t have a sweet tooth. Best consumed slowly, this drink was like a little dessert. </p> <p dir="ltr">The ‘Bubblegun Martini’ (Hubba Bubba Vodka, hubba bubba syrup, sakura, pressed citrus, rosemary smoke bubble) was served with a bubblegum, forming a rosemary smoke bubble. </p> <p dir="ltr">The absolute crowd favourite was the ‘Disko Drink’ (Vodka, elderflower, house-made yuzu marmalade, lychee sherbet, prosecco), which ended up being the most impressive cocktail on the menu, served with a speaker and disco lights! The staff let us keep the speaker for the table and we ended up picking the tunes all night, and as a millennial would say “the vibes were immaculate”. For those of you who don’t understand, we had an incredible time!</p> <p dir="ltr">The food started rolling out at the perfect time, as we all picked classic sushi restaurant snacks. Think edamame, pork gyoza, chicken and avocado rolls and a grilled salmon nigiri share plate.</p> <p dir="ltr">The portions were small, which complimented the drinks nicely. Blossom bar is first and foremost a cocktail bar, with the emphasis on the relaxed and alluring atmosphere, next time around I will be sure to either start the evening here for a couple of drinks before dinner or eat prior to going, in order to explore a wider variety of their bespoke cocktails.</p> <p dir="ltr">Everything was extremely insta worthy and felt effortlessly glamorous. The prices reflected the quality of the food and drinks, while being on the slightly more expensive side but for a pleasant night out in Sydney it was worth every cent.</p> <p dir="ltr">Blossom Bar is the perfect hole-in-the-wall escape from the hustle and bustle of dining inside the CBD. Spice Alley is quite accessible being a 15-minute walk from Broadway Shopping Centre and a five-minute walk from Central Station.</p> <p dir="ltr">You can flick through a gallery of the team’s favourites below. </p>

Food & Wine

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Top 5 places to see the world's best cherry blossoms

<p><span>No matter where you are in the world, it’s always nice to enjoy the view of cherry blossoms when they are in season. Here are some of the best places in the world to see the beautiful flowers in bloom.</span></p> <p><strong><span>1. Arakurayama Sengen Park, Japan</span></strong></p> <p><span>This scenic gem in Yamanashi shines in April when cherry blossoms are in full bloom, complemented by a classic five-storey pagoda from the Arakura Fuji Sengen-jinja Shrine and majestic views of Mount Fuji in the distance.</span></p> <p><strong><span>2. Kungsträdgården, Stockholm, Sweden</span></strong></p> <p><span>While Stockholm is lined with pink trees every spring, Kungsträdgården is where you can see the flowers form a cotton candy canopy over the entire park. In mid-April you can also stroll through the stands and get some snacks from the annual Japanese festival taking place at the site. Expect the peak around mid-to-late April.</span></p> <p><strong><span>3. Jerte Valley, Spain</span></strong></p> <p>Located between Salamanca and Cáceres, the valley has two million white cherry trees that create a stunning, snow-like panorama. As the locals tell it, <em>Valle del Jerte</em> <span>comes to life every March in three stages: <em>despertar el valle </em>(the valley wakes)<em>, cerezo en Flor </em>(cherry trees in bloom)<em>, </em>and<em> lluvia de Pétalos </em>(shower of flower petals). </span></p> <p><strong><span>4. Washington DC, US</span></strong></p> <p><span>Cherry blossoms first arrived in DC in 1912 as a gift from Japan. To commemorate the occasion, the city celebrates the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival, allowing visitors to enjoy the sea of pink and white from the 3,000-plus trees around the Tidal Basin from late March to mid-April.</span></p> <p><strong><span>5. Pingba, Guizhou, China</span></strong></p> <p><span>According to local media, the region boasts more than 500,000 cherry trees along with azalea and apricot trees. When they blossom in late March to early April, the aerial view of the region shows a lush display of white-pink petals covering the county.</span></p> <p><span>Click through the gallery above to see the cherry blossoms at these spots.</span></p> <p><span>Will you be visiting any of these places? Let us know in the comments.</span></p>

International Travel

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Peach & orange blossom polenta upside-down cake

<p>Polenta gives this wonderful citrus-laden cake an interesting texture.</p> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Ingredients: </span></strong></p> <ul> <li>4 peaches, cut into thin wedges (use Golden Queens if you can)</li> <li>185g butter, softened</li> <li>150g (⅔ cup) golden caster sugar</li> <li>5 eggs</li> <li>Zest of 2 oranges</li> <li>¾ cup thick Greek-style yoghurt</li> <li>2 tablespoons orange blossom water</li> <li>100g almonds, ground (I do this in my coffee grinder, first chopping them roughly)</li> <li>130g fine polenta</li> <li>40g flour</li> <li>1½ teaspoons baking powder</li> <li>1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice</li> <li>2 tablespoons golden caster sugar</li> <li>Thick Greek-style yoghurt or creme fraiche to serve</li> </ul> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Method:</span></strong></p> <p>1. Preheat the oven to 160°C and line a square or rectangle cake tin with baking paper (I used a tin that measures 21cm x 19cm, but slightly bigger is also fine). Arrange the peach slices on the bottom of the tin in three rows, pushing them snugly together. </p> <p>2. Beat the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy then add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. </p> <p>3. Add the orange zest, yoghurt and 1 tablespoon of the orange blossom water and pulse to combine. Add the ground almonds, polenta, flour and baking powder and again pulse until just combined. </p> <p>4. Pour the batter over the peach slices and bake for an hour or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. </p> <p>5. While the cake is cooking, put the orange juice in a saucepan with the sugar, bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer for about 12 minutes or until it begins to go syrupy, then stir in the remaining tablespoon of orange blossom water. </p> <p>6. Once the cake is cooked, remove from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes before removing from the tin and transferring to a plate. </p> <p>7. Using a wooden skewer, make holes all over the cake then pour over the syrup and let it absorb into the cake. Serve with thick Greek-style yoghurt or creme fraiche. </p> <p><em>Written by Emma Boyd. Republished with permission of <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Stuff.co.nz</span></strong></a>. Image credit: Emma Boyd/Stuff.co.nz.</em></p>

Food & Wine

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Tiered orange blossom and lime cake

<p>A subtle hint of orange blossom in this lovely cake makes it truly something special.</p> <p>Instead of making it a tiered cake, you could use two tins (22cm) and you can easily make it gluten-free by replacing the spelt flour with buckwheat flour.</p> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Serves:</span></strong> 18</p> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Ingredients:</span></strong></p> <ul> <li>300g butter, softened</li> <li>300g caster sugar</li> <li>6 eggs</li> <li>2 tsp vanilla extract</li> <li>300g ground almonds</li> <li>75g plain flour or spelt flour</li> <li>zest and juice of 2 large, unwaxed limes</li> <li>1 tbsp orange blossom water</li> </ul> <p><em> Icing</em></p> <ul> <li>150g butter, softened</li> <li>½ tsp vanilla extract</li> <li>2 cups icing sugar</li> <li>125g cream cheese</li> </ul> <p><em>Topping</em></p> <ul> <li>Roughly chopped pistachios</li> <li>Store bought lemon or lime curd</li> <li>Dried or fresh rose petals</li> </ul> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Method:</span></strong></p> <ol> <li>Preheat the oven to 180ºC fan bake. Line 1 x 10" (25cm) and 1 x 6" (15cm) tin with baking paper.</li> <li>In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until pale, light and fluffy.</li> <li>Beat in the eggs, one at a time, along with the vanilla.</li> <li>Gradually fold in the ground almonds and flour, then add the lime zest and juice and the orange blossom water.</li> <li>Divide the batter evenly between the 2 cake tins.</li> <li>Bake for approximately 35 minutes. The cakes are ready when golden in colour, springy to the touch, and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.</li> <li>Allow the cakes to cool for around 10 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack.</li> <li>Meanwhile, make the icing. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and vanilla until smooth and then gradually add the icing sugar. Add the cream cheese little by little and continue to beat until light and fluffy.</li> <li>Once the cakes are completely cool, spread a layer of icing onto the large layer and place the small layer directly on top. Apply a neat coating of icing to the top of the cake, and decorate with curd, pistachios and rose petals.</li> <li>Store in the fridge, in an airtight container for up to 3 days.</li> </ol> <p>Did you like this recipe? Let us know in the comments below.</p> <p><em>Written by Jordan Rondel. First appeared on <a href="http://Stuff.co.nz" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Stuff.co.nz.</span></strong></a></em><br /> <br /><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><a href="/lifestyle/food-wine/2016/06/little-lemongrass-cakes/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Little lemongrass cakes</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="/lifestyle/food-wine/2016/06/one-minute-lemon-raspberry-and-yoghurt-mug-puddings/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>One minute lemon raspberry and yoghurt mug puddings</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="/lifestyle/food-wine/2016/04/flourless-pear-and-almond-cake/"><strong><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Flourless pear and almond cake</span></em></strong></a></p>

Food & Wine

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10 photographs of China’s breathtaking apricot blossoms

<p>Xinjiang, a remote province in the north west of China, attracts thousands of tourists every year, looking for an opportunity to view the spectacular Apricot Valley.</p> <p>Each year during China’s spring, this valley transforms, and the mountainous surrounds are enveloped by a majestic sea of pink and white apricot blossom.</p> <p>Xinjiang sits close to the border of Kazakhstan and the best time to see the beautiful apricot blossoms is from the start of June to the end of September.</p> <p>We know that might be cutting it a little fine for you to plan flights and accommodation this year, so we’ve included 10 of the most beautiful photographs from recent seasons. Viewing these incredible images is certainly the next best thing.</p> <p>To see all the images scroll through the gallery above. It’s tough, but which of these images is your favourite? Personally we like the sixth picture, which depicts a tiny yurt on a hill, surrounded by the lush, almost tide-like apricot blossoms.</p> <p>Please let us know in the comments below.</p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/news/news/2016/04/cat-meets-dogs-at-dog-show/" target="_blank">Watch this friendly cat meet 50 dogs at a dog show</a></strong></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/news/news/2016/04/prince-george-president-barack-obama-photos/" target="_blank">The story behind Prince George’s presidential photos</a></strong></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/news/news/2016/04/lifeguard-helps-wheelchair-bound-veteran-surf/" target="_blank">Lifeguard helps make wheelchair-bound army vet's dream come true</a></strong></em></span></p>

News

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10 breathtaking photos of Japan’s cherry blossom season

<div dir="ltr"> <div class="adL"> <div class="im"> <p>From late March to mid-April Japan’s famed sakura (cherry blossoms) attract visitors from all around the globe, blanketing the country in pastel splendour.</p> <p>Cherry blossom season is one of the best times of year to visit the Land of the Rising Sun, and World2Cover travel insurance has some tips for Aussies looking to make the journey.</p> <ul> <li>The season is fleeting so if you’re planning a trip or already there, regularly check the <a href="http://www.japan-guide.com/" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Japan Guide online resource</strong></span></a> to stay up to date with predicted blooming times.</li> <li>Be sure to try limited editions sakura-flavoured food and drinks during your stay.</li> <li>Read up on the history and cultural significance of the event. In ancient Japan, the arrival of the cherry blossom announced the start of rice-planting season and used to forecast the year’s harvest.</li> <li>Make sure you view the cherry blossoms at different times of day.</li> <li>Consider sticking around a week after the bloom, when the petals fall creating amazing photo opportunities.</li> <li>If you would like to see cherry blossoms outside peak season, consider visiting Okinawa in the south where blossoms open as early as January or Hokkaido in the north, where they bloom as late as May. </li> </ul> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/travel/international/2016/02/a-look-inside-first-class-cabins/">Inside 8 first class cabins that will amaze you</a></em></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/travel/international/2016/02/most-photographed-locations-in-london/">London’s 8 most photographed locations</a></em></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/travel/international/2016/02/holiday-ideas-for-animal-lovers/">8 holiday ideas every animal lover needs to experience</a></em></strong></span></p> </div> </div> </div>

International Travel

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