SPRING is here!

 

"Spring drew on. . . . and a greenness grew over those brown beds, which, freshening daily, suggested the thought that Hope traversed them at night, and left each morning brighter traces of her steps."        ~ Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre ~

Weekend flowers & bunnies 

Black-capped chickadee on front porch 

Grey squirrel on bird bath - Spanish bluebell leaves

If 'Hope" traversed my garden last night she would have perhaps been scared away by 'ghosts!'  Such a very cold night was forecast, 28F.  Concern for plants and shrubs, even the leafing trees, was high. At dusk we went out and covered the hydrangeas in front of the porch, and the peonies which are already showing growth. I keep old shower curtain liners handy for this thankfully infrequent job, they seem to do well . . . . but do appear as ghostly white mounds in the night garden! I whipped them off this morning after the sun had warmed us up above freezing, and thankfully the sun is full and brilliant now and it will soon reach 53F.  One more night of freezing temps and then we'll be over the hump I think. 

Tonight we'll light the last fire. Our hearth served us well as always over winter. Yesterday we started our clean out of the leaves remaining in the front garden beds - we'll be off to purchase mulch soon to freshen them and keep the weeds controlled. As I write the street sweeper truck has driven by - really good to see the cul-de-sac swept clean to welcome the first day of Spring. Wishing you a happy one.

Crystal Clear -------

 

That annoying grinding, grating noise of a lawn mower woke me

 somewhat early yesterday morning!  Right away I knew it was our mower 

and that Bob was already up and out.

 Getting an early start on outdoor projects, due to another day in the high

 90's, is necessary for health and safety.  By 9 AM the lawn looked 

great - quite green again as we've had some brief but welcomed

 afternoon rains - all neat and clean as Bob always trims the edges and

 finishes up with the blower.

By 10 AM we were running errands and back home again before the outdoor

 heat finished us off for the day.

What's a good thing to do in the house in this continuing heat?

One job was accomplished recently, cleaning crystals.

Can't stand them when they get cloudy.

I have several vintage chandeliers and sconces with old glass crystals

 which do get grimy from every day living dust.  

Easiest way is to pull an old white cotton sock over your hand, spray

 with window cleaner then gently wipe each dangling crystal. 

This removes sticky grime, brings back the glitter and makes one think of

 cool, sparkly raindrops........a great feeling on these hot, dry summer days.

Do you have a fun weekend planned?

Whatever you do and wherever you are, enjoy.

I'm thinking of making this dessert as we are still picking figs. . . . . . . 

last year I made it and added pears which was yummy.

Another week.......and all is good!

A very good morning dear friends on another beautiful day in the

 neighborhood.

This past week we've had awesome weather so time in the garden

 has kept me busy, weeding, pruning, watering and just fiddling about.

Occasional sniffing of the now blooming peonies, and sticking my

 nose in the huge waterfalls of jasmine and honeysuckle pouring

over the fences around the back garden is a lovely pastime, 

especially in the evenings when the fragrance peaks and I swoon!

I've been getting up much earlier and sitting on the front porch with

my favorite mug full of steaming coffee, a throw, and a camera of

course. It's still cool then but soon warms to a comfortable 

temperature as the sun comes up.

I'm also cat sitting Ms. Nala next door for a week while her 

person is out of town. Twice a day I pop over to do the necessary

cat chores, and in the morning allow her onto the enclosed 

sunroom which she loves as she can watch birds, squirrels and

 that fat rabbit who seems to have moved into the garden.

I did make a side trip to AT HOME whilst out grocery shopping - 

and bought a new candle, yes another, really for the kitchen.

It's a lovely soft, mellow fragrance of Lime, Basil & Mandarin .........

and last evening I actually moved it into the living room for 

a while when we flopped down to watch a bit of TV

after supper in the gazebo at sunset.

I'm still following the Low Histamine diet however, as you can see here,

I cheated last night and had a glass of rosé with my salad and veggies!

Rosé is the wine lowest in histamine and I really needed a treat after so

much boring eating and no drinking!

Enjoy your Sunday and let's all catch up next week.

I'm feeling a lot better thankfully and hope to get a lot done around

 the house . . . . . . especially some much needed spring cleaning!

 

Monday meanderings -

This morning I awoke with a start and looked at the wall clock with bleary eyes - 6:45 AM. 

Crawled out from under the duvet (do you use one year-round? I do) pulled off 

the bed linens ready for the wash and carried them downstairs to get them going in

the machine.

Funny thing was when I looked at the kitchen clock it said almost 6:00 AM!

I misread the first clock and got up an hour too early. It was OK though as

I got a lot done before Bob was even awake!

By 8:00 AM I had deadheaded the petunias and geraniums, and accidentally snapped

 this piece off - tucked it in with rooting basil for a pretty window sill display.

Then I watered much of the garden, especially the pots as they dry out 

quickly - and today it hit 90F by early afternoon, phew!

This morning the peonies continued to smell divine, some now open full but

a few still in bud, I think they'll last through the end of this week.

Father's Day was fun and we spent several hours celebrating Bob, a truly great Dad,

but not appreciated enough by some family members. I will not go into details here, 

just take my word for it!

Are you finding being 'locked down, or up", makes it easy to dwell on sad 

bits of your life? I guess it's because we have so much time on our hands. I have to

 hold myself back here because I don't want my blog to be a pity party or full of negativity,

there's enough of that going on all around us.

So back to the garden, that place of solace, beauty, birdsong, color, fragrance,

 and relaxation after a lot of hard but mostly enjoyable work.

The day lilies are coming along well now. I'm really not a fan of orange flowers except

here hugging up to the Nikko blue hydrangea, they work well. Each bloom lives up to its

 name, blooming one day and then fading.

Sunday morning I made another batch of basil pesto, so delicious.  I had enough to share

for Father's Day with my daughter's partner - he does most of the cooking - and my neighbor.

I'll be making plenty of this fresh 'taste of summertime' over the next few months.

Just so you know - I'm feeling quite comfortable now with the New Blogger and am

using it without having to revert to the old legacy version.

I thank all of you for your assistance with this, your tips online, and by phone, were such

 a huge help.  I do think Blogger still needs to fine tune the platform, and I do think

I preferred the old version. Maybe it will improve in the coming month - maybe I'll

like it some day!

Here's to a good week everyone.

A garden is a job forever. . . . . .

Today is our sixth straight day of brilliant sunshine and temperatures reaching 80+.

Also our sixth day for working outside for a few hours. Showers may arrive early

 evening and will be good for the garden, washing away more pollen and

moisturizing the newly planted seeds.  

Yesterday planted my row of sunflower seeds along the low wall between

 us and our neighbor, the 'other Bob'. Hopefully, come summer, we will have that

 wonderful annual display and plenty of seed treats for the birds. If the squirrels and 

deer stay away I will be overjoyed, although these days I'm happy to feed anyone

who may be searching for food!

A few more garden photos from yesterday - and here I will just say many, many thanks

 for all the generous comments you have left about my garden. 

 Just wish we could all sit here in the sunshine with the pandemic over and just a
memory, and people safe again.

There's at least one bird nesting in the house but it flew out so quickly when I
 was photographing the roses I couldn't see who it was. Usually we get Eastern
 bluebirds and nuthatches, and I think it was the latter.

The Knockout roses are coming into bloom. . . . . . 

. . . . . . and the snowball bush is bursting with such pretty greenish flowers,

but will soon turn white.

The arbor and gate into the back garden has a 'gone wild' trumpet vine.  

Cut to the ground a couple of years back when we painted, it's certainly taken off 

this spring and dozens of flower buds are opening quickly due to this warm weather.

Many of you have truly beautiful gardens that far surpass mine! Like me, 

I know you are finding your outdoor space a safe and special place to be.

Continue to stay safe, distanced from others no matter how much

 you want to hug, and remain well.

Bedrooms and Birdies!

Still working on the bedroom, have to get it totally 

back together before posting any photos.

I've been framing some art to hang. Bob continues to edit

his stuff and load up his dresser drawers again!

Still waiting installation of new window blinds and

rehanging drapery panels.

Worked in the garden yesterday, a total of two hours before my lower back

 screamed "STOP", so I did rather than be in pain the remainder of the day.

At this age we know our limits!

 Beautiful day to be outside, dead headed the hydrangeas

 and daffodils, pruned climbing roses, cleaned out and filled bird feeders, 

pulled and clipped some annoying ivy, and picked up a lot of fallen twigs.

Then there was the birdhouse annual clean out ready for a new 

generation of renters this spring.

  Bob lifted it off the post and when we removed the top we were amazed, 

and thrilled, to find each of the five birdie apartments contained a nest - I 

believe two were Eastern bluebirds, the others perhaps White-breasted

 nuthatches whom I've often seen around the birdhouse in spring and summer.

Besides much grass, some twigs, and handfuls of leaves from

the Japanese acer, there were also a lot of grey and white feathers

 and a few strips of plastic woven into the nests. Just amazing how those

 little birds fit so much through those 1-1/2 inch holes. . . . . . and then

construct such soft, comfortable nests.

Magnolia liliiflora still blooming - green leaves starting to open also.

Despite all the work, I have to admit I do love my garden. . . . . and

of course my beautiful birds.

. . . . . now there are three!

 This morning, such a chilly but bright and sunny one, I peeked in from my

 little step stool, camera at the ready, and found mama finch, despite the cold,

 has laid another egg. IF she decides to lay the maximum of 6 it's going to be 

very crowded in there and, because she is so tiny, I've no idea how she can

possibly sit on all those eggs for two weeks!

Will keep you updated.

Potting Shed and lovely George Taber azaleas.

Today's bright sunshine beckons us into the garden especially as next week

 will not be as pretty with clouds and rain expected.  Bob will be firing up the mower

 later as the grass is long, and we'll be digging holes to plant two new azaleas and

 a hosta purchased yesterday at a roadside stand - all plants grown here in

 North Carolina out in the country south of the city. I love buying local.

Monday garden and thoughts. . . . . . . .

Wow, time flies!  Here it is Monday again and this will be a crazy, busy week for me.

I managed to prepare a few posts over the weekend.

 I was fed up with trying to decide what to pack for Patagonia. . . . . and how to fit 

it all into a large rolling duffel . . . . . so took short breaks from looking at piles

 of layering clothes and tons of toiletries all over the bed, shot a few photos 

around the garden, and wrote some posts to share this week. 

Last evening I collapsed in my chair with a glass of red and two chocolates!!

 To hell with the prednisone weight gain, I'm tired of fighting that issue for

 the past year. 

Absolutely loved watching that hour and a half series finale of VICTORIA

 which I thought amazing! Did you see it?

NO, your acorns are not buried here! Guess they'll continue digging in my pots of tulip

bulbs and pansies whilst I'm gone.

The saucer magnolia continues to brighten the February garden.

Plenty of garden chores will have to wait 'til April.

The daffodils and jonquils brought 'sunshine' to a somewhat cloudy weekend 

with a few showers.

So here's to the week ahead. Know you are freezing in the UK - even the

 English Channel is turning to ice along the Devon coast where my family lives, 

and severe storms caused by Siberian winds with snow and ice are heading

 across England from north to south for much of this week.

So take care wherever you are. . . . . . and do stop by tomorrow as it's a

 special anniversary for me!

Leaving home in May. . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . is really hard when the garden is so pretty, and requires so much work!

On our return in just two weeks I know we'll have to be out here working hard 

as all will have grown, climbed, spread, crept, and multiplied, and our 

green thumbs and sore backs will be pushed to the limit!

We have already been out there this morning - and the clock is just 

striking 8 AM!  Filled bird baths, feeders and moved things from the deck

and gazebo to the safety of the potting shed in case of storms - I even cut

down some huge pokeweeds that had appeared in a large pot, birds had

 probably dropped the berries there last Autumn. Bob mowed the grass

yesterday morning while it was still cool, now it will have two weeks to grow 

in the May sunshine, and we'll come back to a field.

Yes, leaving in springtime is hard when you have a garden.

I hope the month of May will be a beautiful time for you.

April shapes and shadows. . . . . .

On Sunday I had to do some garden work. That said, I must add that I never thought

 I'd get to this point in my garden chores where I describe it this way.  "Had" to, 

"chores", even "work".

Well a garden is always work. . . . . . remember that quote I've shared previously ~

 A garden is a thing of  beauty. . . . . . . and a job forever.  So true!

Fifteen years ago I could work out here for 8 hours straight. Everything was 

immaculate, aches and pains had yet to start, I had stamina. Now I can only work
 for short periods of time but that's OK, as long as I can keep gardening for an hour
 here, maybe a couple of hours there on a good day, I'll do it. I have been 
blessed with a small piece of land and I like it to look lovely from my windows. . . . . . 
. . . . . . . . . .and be a haven for wildlife.

So, on that perfect Sunday afternoon, I took a late lunch break under the umbrella

 on the back deck. I made a simple blender smoothie - blueberry kefir (I'm addicted to
 healthy kefir), tossed in fresh raspberries, a couple of ice cubes, a sprinkle of Chia seeds. 
No mosquitoes around yet, just a light pollen dusting.
 I was in heaven, enjoying the new greens bursting forth overhead - Spring
 sending me a joyful message from the trees and blooming shrubs.

Are you enjoying bloom time yet?
Will you have pretty gardens for Easter next weekend?