Thursday 16 April 2015

A typical ramble



The Garden in Spring

The Primulas are all out.



And a variety of  Daffodils are scattered around the whole garden.



The birds are singing or, in the case of this Starling, burbling.  Starlings nest in one of our chimney pots.  They are going to get a surprise in a few days when our builder, Brendan, goes up there to do some repair work!


Hyacinth


Forsythia


Japanese Maple


When I was tiny one of the first tree buds about which I learned was the Horse Chestnut with its sticky bud scales.


The Cherry is beginning to flower.



Song Thrush
When I was young Song Thrushes were common.  You could pretty guarantee you would see one every day at my Mum and Dad’s house in suburban Liverpool.  Now they are so rare that I’ve only seen a couple in the last ten years. On a trip into North Wales Jo spotted this one which was kind enough to pose with a mouth full of worms but I didn’t get a very good shot – my fault entirely.

Loose Leaf Notes
I have mentioned Colleen Redman's blog before as one worth visiting.   In her latest posting from the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia she wrote this brilliant line.

"Your words unhook the dress of my mind. "

That is so evocative it will live with me for a long time.

 Willow - Heswall
Sometimes we go to Willow tea rooms and our visit to Gladstone's Library reminded me that they have a quote from Gladstone on their wall. 


Excuse me...
I need to go to the loo.   How's this for a great 'Gents' sign.



Our first Moth
Our first moth of the year appeared a few days ago – a Hebrew Character.  Few people realise how attractive all those species of ‘little brown moths’ are.



 Annabel
“How come you are allowed outside and I’m not,” she asks.


A quote from a Nicci French novel...

"The only faces that look more haggard than mine, especially first thing in the morning, have been dug out of a peat bog after two thousand years of mummification."


12 comments:

  1. My younger sister was born in Forsyth, Georgia and someone there decided it would be a good idea for the town to plant Forsythia....don't you just love the idea of lots of that all over a small town?
    That Annabel is a beauty...those eyes are gorgeous!
    Talked to my in-laws on my birthday yesterday, it is very warm in Eastbourne. It was warmer there than it was here! Thanks for remembering my birthday, by the way, much appreciated! xx

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    1. According to Helen it has been much nicer down south than here on Merseyside - they have had no rain for over two weeks.

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  2. And what a wonderful blue sky. You forgot to mention this!
    I wonder if Gladstone was in the pay of the tea industry :)

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  3. I could look at flowers all day! Smelling them is fun too. We only get wood thrush in summer. I don't see them but hear their song, which reminds me of The Nightingale story every time. Thanks for the shout out!

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  4. You have a lovely garden, and i'm sorry you don't see too many of the song thrushes any more.

    Tell Annabel that even over here cats are only allowed out in the yard with supervision -- it's too dangerous out there.

    Loo signs that show the character doing the "potty dance" are funny!

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  5. So lovely to see colourful flowers again. They're beginning to show up here too now (for example the daffodils) but we're still behind compared to you. We're still having frosty nights.

    I just love that tea-quote. So true. I do drink tea for all those reasons and probably a few more!
    May I copy that picture to my FB-page? (I have at least one very devoted tea-lover among my Swedish FB-friends... who like me does not drink coffee, only tea...)

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    1. Of course, you are most welcome to copy it.

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  6. I think you did a great job of snapping a pic of the birds. After trying to get some shots this winter of the ones at our bird feeder, I know how hard that is! I love the restroom sign...very clever! One of my favorite bathroom quips for men: "We aim to keep this bathroom clean...your aim will help"...Ha! Have a lovely Spring weekend. You have many more blooms going on than we do. Our time is coming though...the grass is thick and green and if it would just stop raining I could mow it!

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  7. And a lovely ramble it is too, so spring-like and full of little joys!

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  8. The daffodils are so pretty with their frilly "skirts", like old-fashioned petticoats, I love them!
    Birdsong has been waking me every morning for about two months now, mainly blackbirds with their sweetly melancholic tunes. It's just great to be alive in spring, isn't it!

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  9. I have this quote on a blue tin for tea. I love it. :)

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  10. Last Sunday when friends were here for dinner the windows in the room were besieged with moths at sundown. We'll have to make a trap when you are up in the summer. The Cottage in NZ was besieged with Song Thrushes and I've had a few here this year too.

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