A small but beautiful tree. . . . . . . . . . .

Yesterday the official temperature reached 82F here in Raleigh ~ quite a 

hot pre-Spring day.

Being St. Patrick's Day there were many short sleeved Kelly green t-shirts visible ~

both on the street and the outdoor patios of restaurants and watering holes.

'Erin go Bragh' was heard on tongues not necessarily Irish. Seems we are all 

suddenly Irish on March 17.

The subject of this post is really my precious Tulip magnolia (Magnolia liliiflora)

which suddenly showed color in yesterday's sunshine. 

Petals burst through, and the fuzzy buds took on a beauty all their own. 

No longer the tiny shrub I planted a few years back, this baby is now a small tree. 

Native to southwest China ~ Sichuan and Yunnan ~ but cultivated for 

centuries elsewhere in China and Japan.

A deciduous small tree to about 12 feet tall, smaller than other magnolias, 

it blooms profusely in early Spring with large pink to purple showy flowers, 

before the leaf buds open. . . . and I love it.

Spring Magazine Swap . . . . . . . .

How's this for being spoiled!  

I took part in Lorrie's spring magazine swap recently and my partner 

was my long time blog friend Maggie who lives in Normandy, France. 

Maggie asked if I'd prefer a French or English magazine (we're both originally 

from the UK) and I immediately requested my favorite French publication
CAMPAGNE DECORATION.

I used to have an annual subscription to this beautiful magazine and I may
just get one again - it has excellent photography, hardly any advertising,
 and although my French is pretty awful now, I can still read quite a lot 
of the articles.

Also in my parcel was the wonderful UK magazine HOMES & ANTIQUES.
I love this issue as there are interesting articles as well as pages of 
beautiful antiques and decor. I particularly enjoyed reading the history of 
antique pocket watches - the most expensive one ever auctioned sold for over 
twenty two million dollars - that is some timepiece.
Maggie's postcard of the French rooster painting is so pretty - and be assured the 
candies were yummy! Thanks for everything Maggie and for being a great 
blog friend all these years.

You can find the lovely Lorrie on Vancouver Island, Canada at her beautiful 

blog Fabric Paper Thread, always a joy to read. Thanks for organizing the 

swap Lorrie.

Maggie's fun blog is Normandy Life and she is currently visiting here 

in the US. We decided to mail our magazines to each other here rather 

than send them across the pond. I'm hoping Maggie will enjoy reading 

her magazines while enjoying the view from her beachfront condo.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

Learning to share in bird land . . . . . . .

The beautiful Northern Flickers are still around and I was thrilled to get this shot of 

one with an Eastern Bluebird perched close by.

Later there was a bit of a skirmish at the suet feeder on the fig tree when the 
European Starling returned after a long absence, pushing and shoving the Flicker off. . . . . 

. . . . . but he waited whilst the Starling nibbled for a couple of minutes.

Waiting patiently for his turn - displaying his lovely golden yellow tail and 
under wing feathers, and the speckled pattern on his breast.

Above - Mrs. Northern Flicker

Here the pair are hanging out together, male on the suet, female 
close by - the only time I've actually seen them both together around the feeders.
I didn't even know she was there until I loaded the pic on the laptop!

If you're wondering about the rust colored leaves in March - we have a small oak 
tree which hasn't shed its leaves yet, and a still-with-leaves maple behind the fig. Once 
the new buds are formed they will both drop their leaves and we'll be raking again, but 
hopefully under a spring green canopy.