how do you define the changing seasons ?
I've always followed the traditional calendar dates, with the first day of spring being classed as the day of the spring equinox. According to this definition spring begins in the northern hemisphere on the 20th of March this year.
These days however, I prefer to follow the Met Offices definition of the seasons ........ begining at the start of the month ... spring is March, April,May .... Summer June,July,August .... and so on.It just seems make more sense that the whole of cold ,dark December is winter. And March, when the lambs are in the fields and it's light by 6.30 am, is spring.
It certainly felt like spring here this weekend .I was so glad. After a week that included the very sad funeral of a lovely friend and work colleague some warm sunshine was very welcome to help lift the spirits.
I was tempted into the garden for the first time this year. Time for some much needed tidying . This border was a real mess...
After some removal of last years dead foliage ( me) and weeding (Mr BM ) it now looks a lot neater......
O.K. it's not much to look at yet but there are lots of little green shoots promising floral goodness to come . It felt so good to do the first gardening of the year.
Instead of dashing inside afterwards I was happy to spend some quiet time noticing the few spring plants we have already in flower, like these pretty white bells........
And a gorgeous hellebore.......
They are pretty small so you could easily miss them. Some tiny creatures were also enjoying the suns heat........
This may look like a big daffodil but it's just a little Narsissi ,tete-a-tete ( splashed with soil in last weeks heavy rain ) ........
you have to bend down to appreciate these , I love taking pictures from below......... a snails eye view.......
Yes, it certainly felt like spring this weekend and as I was pottering in the garden I was reminded of this simple childrens rhyme......
Spring is showery,flowery,bowery
Summer is hoppy,croppy,poppy
Autumn is slippy,drippy,nippy
Winter is breezy,sneezy,freezy.
I've had quite enough of breezy,sneezy,freezy .Roll on flowery and bowery (with the odd shower )
Hope you have had an enjoyable weekend.
Jacquie x
Lovely photos as always! Great little rhyme too - never heard that one before :-)
ReplyDeleteA most enjoyable post, I liked the poem at the end, new to me too.
ReplyDeleteLove the garden.....I have spent the morning planting new bulbs and seeds. Had to tidy mine up as a little bit of a mess.
ReplyDeleteLuv Jane XX
Beautiful photos!
ReplyDelete♥Crissi♥
What a lovely post, Jacquie. I do love reading your blog. So sorry for the loss of your friend xxx
ReplyDeleteI will try to do that in my garden . . . look at things from a snails eye view. (((Hugs)))because I think you deserve them :) x
ReplyDeleteSo sorry about your loss, losing a friend is never easy. Take care,
ReplyDeleteMeredith
I too was able to putter in a few beds yesterday.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear of your loss. Maybe the rain was all the angels crying...Tears of JOY...they had come home.
Family health is certainly good to be thankful for. Beautiful photo's the one of the daffs dancing against the blue sky is stunning. Enjoy your week, dee x
ReplyDeleteQue flores mais lindas.
ReplyDeleteBelas fotos.
Beijo.
Gardening happening here too today in the lovely sunshine, there were lots of lovely ladybirds hiding in our spring plants
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry you lost a dear friend.
It's felt like spring here on the south coast Jacquie but unfortunately we have been sneezing and wheezing with coughs and colds! I love those white bells and the hellebore,stunning xox Hope you have a fab week ahead after this past sad one xxx
ReplyDeleteBeautiful bell flowers Jacquie, sorry to hear about the loss of a dear friend, I hope your spring garden has given you some comfort x We are all sneezy and coughs and colds here at the mo, roll on Spring xox
ReplyDeleteLovely post Jacquie, wasn't it lovely to be outside this weekend, I did a bit of pruning and pulling up dead stuff. But the most lovely thing in my garden this weekend was the arrival of our toads in the pond, to do what they do at this time of year!!! We've just been out with a torch and there are two females and one very busy male but we could hear others calling. Magical!
ReplyDeleteI love the hellebore! The flowers always remind me of spring at my Grannie's in the Highlands of Scotland.
ReplyDeleteYou and your friend's family are in my thoughts. I think gardening is the perfect way to honour someone's life.
I'd never heard that song. Here we're into Autumn so I loved seeing your spring photos. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous photos. We're enjoying spring here too!
ReplyDeleteEllie
x
Hey Jacquie, sorry to hear about your friend and work colleague.....makes us stop and appreciate all that we have, particularly our health.
ReplyDeleteLove that children's rhyme about the seasons, I've never heard that before.we start the seasons on the first day of the month, easier to remember.........
Greta job in the garden, doesn't it feel great to have a good tidy up and make room for new growth.
Beautiful snails' eye view of the Tete et Tete....the last pic almost looks fluorescent.
A lovely, long weekend here, beautiful Autumn weather and time spent with the boys out and about.
Claire x
I love your photos and I love your garden:)
ReplyDelete