Snapshots of April and May. 2013.

Deep crimson rhododendron blooms.

Magnolia stellata in our garden

A watchful cat in the school grounds 

Canal boats. King Edwards Wharf. Birmingham.

A morning walk......Monday 20th May. 2013

It was such a lovely May morning that I left the housework to itself, (not difficult in my case!) and took myself out for a walk. There is nothing quite like the scent and sound of May in full bloom. The birds are now in full throated song.The new leaves so fresh, filling the trees with all the variations of green that could possibly be painted.

The smell of May was heady. Newly cut grass verges in the damp air. The day had begun with a slight mistiness and humidity, which enhanced the scent of the bluebells as I passed by, and highlighted the sense of the overwhelming reappearance of flowers, blossom, leaves, responding to the sap rise and their own rebirth. 

And how is it, that this time with the season being so late, everything seems so much more vibrant, with late daffodils mixed in with bluebells and apple blossom, tulips and lilac blooms. 

Nature has a way of surprising us all. 

                        

Bluebells. 

A glorious bank of azaleas and rhododendrons

Tiger cat waiting for his lunch.

Apple blossom now out in our garden

Maytime has at last unfurled the leaves.

I find it amazing that after what seemed like an endless winter delaying the start of spring by at least  two to three weeks, the trees and plants have suddenly burst into life.

The cherries especially have been particularly beautiful. 

I have not written much here lately having had a bout of viral illness which has settled. I had not had very much energy. 

So, as the first Bank Holiday in May approached we all looked to the weather......as traditionally here in the UK these particular weekends are not renowned for being particularly sunny and warm, quite the opposite! 

I am certain that the lovely weather which arrived, briefly but very welcome, made everyone collectively smile and relax! It lifted the spirit.          

Bank Holiday Monday 6th May 2013 8.30a.m. 

 As my favourite poet has written
" There never was a finer day,
And never will be while May is May.
The third and not the last of its kind;
But though fair and clear the two behind
Seemed pursued by tempests overpast;
And the morrow with the fear that it could not last....."

May the Twenty-third
Edward Thomas.

So, even as he was writing in the days just at the beginning of the First World War in 1914, he, like me, watched the skies and wondered how long the beautiful days would last.  

 He has a lovely line in the same poem which says:
" Spring could do nothing to make me sad.
Bluebells hid all the ruts in the copse,
The elm seeds lay in the road like hops,
That fine day, May the twenty-third"

Goldfinch on my nyjer seed feeders

 So, as I watched the goldfinches on my feeders, and saw the cherry blossom finally appear, I smiled and enjoyed the day.

Cherry blossom at last came out!  

Pink cherry 

Last day of April 2013

I haven't written anything in April so far, until today. Spring has been so very late in arriving. The silver birch leaves are usually out by the middle of the month. They are only just beginning to show their translucent green. As I took these photos today in the sunshine with the birds now busy nest building it felt so very good.    

Celandines.

Leaves just beginning to unfurl on the  silver birch 

Roses and wallflowers beginning to grow
 after a long hard winter. 

Miniature plum tree has now got some blossom.

Easter Day. March 31st 2013

I am sitting here with a cup of coffee in my "glamorous granny" mug (!) (anything less than glamorous is what I see in the mirror!)

The sun is pouring in through the bedroom window out of a cloudless blue sky, on a freezing cold day. 

The cat is washing  himself in a patch of warm sunshine at the corner of the bed. 

The birds are singing,  and it is Easter Day! 

The shout goes out through out the world 

"Christ has died, 

Christ is Risen,

Christ will come again!" 

Today in church we will celebrate His Resurrection. One of my favourite days of the year. A time of hope. 

   

Summerhouse Saturday 30th March 2013

Yesterday, we went for our usual walk and found, inspite of being buried under 10cms of snow, which then froze, and lasted for days, the crocus flowers still managed to survive the battering.

There they were at the side of the little road, cheerful, and opening up in the sunshine.

      I began to feel, maybe, (just maybe?) winter could be losing it's iron grip. 

  

In that sheltered spot the sun was warm on our faces, the wind did not bite to the core and I began to believe that slowly and surely, the Spring was advancing......

Crocus flowers by the side of the road.  

 


































Just as Wordsworth wrote,

"My heart leaps up

When I behold a rainbow in the sky"

So my heart gladdens at these now tangible signs of a new season finally approaching and hints, miniscule, of warmer days.

The tension of the winter begins to unwind as the sun warms our skin again. Like a coiled spring relaxing. 

I sat in the summer house for a short time in the afternoon, with a cup of tea, and could feel a hint of better days on the horizon, at long last. 

I suppose having lived with leaden skies and frozen earth for what seems like so long this winter, anything that points to a change is seized upon to give us hope! 

     Yes, we still have extremely cold nights and frosty mornings, but the sun is gaining strength at long last. 

Tomorrow is the start of a new month. April. 

  A bittersweet month for us. A month of new beginnings, lighter evenings, plants and trees bursting into new life, and what would have been our oldest son's 37th birthday on the 23rd. 

But, today is Easter Day, and we know we will see him again sometime. Our "sure and certain hope in the resurrection to eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ" 

And tomorrow we are going to see our two lovely grandchildren, and our younger son and his wife. 

Happy Easter everyone!  

Supper with friends in Holy Week

On Wednesday evening our group of friends gathered at one of our homes together, to share a meal with reflections on Holy Week.
The preparations were carefully made and earlier hubby and I arrived to assist in the final parts in readiness for the others.
The table had already been beautifully laid, with a lot of thoughtfulness and care.
Spring flowers in small vases.
A candle at each place setting.
A small printed individual card with a beautiful photo, and the word, "Hope" written on the reverse.
A little Lindt chocolate rabbit to take home.
The glasses sparkled in the lights.
It was truly beautiful.

A simple "Order of service" setting out readings and a prayer.

In the kitchen, a leg of lamb had been roasted, and the smells wafted through the rooms.
We shared pitta bread, and tortilla wraps, in a nod to the Jewish tradition of unleavened bread at the Passover.
Various hummus dips, and couscous, fillings for the wraps, a bowl of salad, and some red wine.

Assembling round the table, a prayer was read for the lighting of the candles. Again, a Jewish tradition.
Two large ones were lit first, and then we each passed a taper round lighting our own individual tealights.

We shared a piece of bread together, passing it round the table after the Prayer for the Breaking of Bread.
"This is My Body, broken for you,
Do this in remembrance of Me"

A glass of wine was then poured.
We passed that round to each other after the words
"This is my Blood shed for you,
Drink this in remembrance of Me,
And be thankful."

The lamb was carved and shared, and we had a very special evening.
Not without it's hilarity!
But that's what friends are for.....laughing and crying together, sharing each others joys and sorrows. Encouraging each other.

Before the pudding was served, the tale was told of how, shortly after hubby and I arrived, there was a loud "OH NO!" from the kitchen. Not knowing what disaster had befallen our lovely hostess,  we went to see what had occurred.......
  She was baking 8 apples, sprinkled with spices, raisins, and sugar in a ceramic dish in the oven, the aroma was mouthwatering............
As she opened the door to take a peek, she could see that the apples had each exploded!
There were bits of them stuck to the walls inside!
But it wasn't a write off.
My hubby took out the tray from underneath the ceramic dish, which was splattered with soft cooked apple, and got a spoon.....................
The verdict, "Absolutely delicious", as he scraped apple from the tray and ate it!

The bulk of the apples was intact, and so the ceramic dish with the remains of the exploded apples was brought to the table and served out into individual dishes and topped with a choice of cream or ice-cream.
What more could you possibly want!
So we finished the meal, sharing the wine, and enjoying the ebb and flow of conversation.

Then hubby noticed he had accidentally set fire to his "Order of service" sheet! A slightly charred edge resulted! Not before it caused a lot of amusement.
It is not the first time he has managed to set fire to a menu!
Note to me:
"Make sure he does not have a piece of paper anywhere near a candle at a meal in future!"

 But as we left on an extremely cold frosty night, we all agreed it had been a very special evening.

Today is Good Friday. The beginning of Easter weekend.
We are going to church this afternoon to a service of reflection on the Crucifixion, and all that Jesus  suffered for us.

"Thine be the Glory
Risen, Conquering Son!
Endless is the Victory,
Thou o'er Death has won!"

         
  
       
      







                

Easter March 2013

Easter March 2013

                                                    Crucified
                                                         Laid behind a stone
                                                         You lived to die
                                                         Rejected and alone
                                                         Like a rose
                                                         Trampled on the ground
                                                         You took the fall
                                                         And thought of me
                                                         Above all
                          Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed for us.                                        

                                          I Corinthians 5 v 7

March 2013

Spot the difference in the two pictures of the climbing hydrangea , taken a year apart. Last March was the third warmest on record. So what happened this year?

The jet stream. apparently. 

It is stuck South of the British Isles, so we are trapped in an area dominated by high pressure, freezing cold endless weather, and still very little sign of the real spring. The warmer weather is stuck tantalizingly out of reach. 

This weekend we change the clocks, moving them forward one hour for the commencement of REAL spring. What a joke! We still have snow on the ground and yet more Arctic temperatures for the foreseeable future..........sigh............        

March 2012
I saw a pair of blackbirds mating on our garage roof in the snow the other day! Their internal clocks have been triggered, lack of spring or not.
The wood pigeons are billing and cooing in wintry conditions, the males bobbing their heads up and down in the funny courtship ritual that is unique to them. Chasing away other males who make an approach. But I reckon their nests may need thermal linings!
My daffodils have been struggling to flower, and although I have seen them in bloom in other places, I am still waiting for their buds to unfurl.
Some of them having been flattened by the frost and weight of snow.  

28th March 2013

Forsythia March 2013

Forsythia March 2012

Meantime, I am slowly beginning to feel more like me. A lovely meal last night shared with friends at one of their homes.
That will be the subject of another post!
Watch this space........