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Paula P's avatar

The first peony has bloomed, buttercups are creating beautiful yellow meadows, and I’ve unpacked my sandals from winter storage.

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Lia Leendertz's avatar

The sandals are out! Excellent

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Ella Bragonier's avatar

Love the update from the overnight orchard and what a great name for it. My three things have to start with all the green alkanet and forget-me-nots I’ve seen, brightening all the dark garden corners and between the paving stones. Second has to be walking home from my 7pm lecture in the light for the first time and hearing the song thrushes singing their hearts out, set against a pale blue sky with the faintest rosy clouds, like a painting where the artist has gently smudged them in with the edge of their thumb. And thirdly, the tiny, tenderest oak leaves growing on the campus trees, all wrinkled and almost translucent. So delicate and small. I walk past every morning now, willing then on!

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Lia Leendertz's avatar

Beautiful things! Those oak leaves are so reluctant aren’t they, and especially in this cold spring. I hadn’t even examined mine but I will do this week.

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Anne's avatar

We’re living in a cottage in Hathersage, in the Peak District, for two weeks, because of our building work. Just twenty minutes from where we live in Sheffield. Living in a city, I have a limited view of the stars and planets, but I’m trying to understand the night sky better (the Almanac is really helping with this, Lia!) So, on a clear, cold, windy night, I took the opportunity to walk up the lane in the dark, to a bit of higher ground. I’ve never seen a sky like it. Just magical.

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Lia Leendertz's avatar

When you get that clear view of the stars it’s incredible isn’t it, like THIS was there all along?? So glad the almanac is helping!

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Astrid Bracke's avatar

What a lovely update Lia! I’m very much looking forward to our crab apples in blossom too, should be a few more weeks 🤞🏻 This week (and in the few weeks before) I’ve noticed so many ladybugs in our garden, sunning themselves or just crawling around. Last weekend I exchanged lady bugs with the 6-year old living down the street to spread the joy. I’ve finished digging up our front lawn and planning to plant drought resistant plants this week, and yesterday we planted a small ginkgo in our back garden 😍 I’m noticing again how much slower everything is to emerge this year as it’s been so much colder, although there’s also so much more green in the garden this week than a month ago. Have a good weekend all!

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Lia Leendertz's avatar

How lovely. They will get all the aphids as they come out.

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Kelly Joanne Allen's avatar

Lovely update on the overnight orchard. I’ve been noticing the glorious parade of tulips in my garden, the white blossom of my exochorda which my Mum gave me when I got married and the masses of birdsong. I have also just found a free app called Merlin bird id that allows you to id birds live by sound. Effectively Shazam for birds. It’s amazing.

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Lia Leendertz's avatar

Ooh I need that… I will look that up, thank you

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The Light Side of The Hill's avatar

My three things this week - the dawn chorus cheerfully waking me up at silly o'clock each morning, I'm enjoying watching the lambs playing in the fields around the house and my ducks have starting to lay beautiful eggs again.

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Lia Leendertz's avatar

Glorious sound isn’t it, and what perfect things

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Andrea Rayner's avatar

A pair of kestrels is nesting on my windowsill ~ and there are 4 eggs in the nest! The window is actually a glazed ventilation slit in an old barn, so we should be able to watch the progress of the fledglings from inside (fingers crossed).

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Lia Leendertz's avatar

That’s wonderful!

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Abi Bryan's avatar

Wow how amazing!

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Anne's avatar

That’s pretty special!

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Ambermoggie's avatar

Oh such beauty in fluffy new things, thank you . My three? Red kites soaring over our holiday cottage in Wales, nearly finishing a new shawl, pattern is Nightshift, wonderful fresh baked bread made in a new to me way. A Dutch oven, aka Le creuset casserole with lid

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Lia Leendertz's avatar

You paint a wonderful picture of this holiday cottage life! Fresh bread and crochet 🥰

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Lindsey Melden's avatar

The callery/bradford pear trees (apparently a staple of urban designers?) are blooming all over town - I haven’t seen as many crabapples yet! My peonies are sprouting which makes me happy every year - can’t wait for them to bloom.

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Lia Leendertz's avatar

The most extravagant of all flowers, I think

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Alix's avatar

Lovely to see the orchard growing and to see your fluffy garden

I’ve not walked my regular route for a week or so but returned to it today to find it transformed. Not a dandelion in sight just a crowd of dandelion clocks. All with perfect, white, round heads waiting for a child (or me!) to pluck them and scatter the seeds with one or two big puffs of breath.

The horse chestnuts were also blooming (if that’s tte correct word) with their cornets of pink flowers peeking amid green leaves.

Also many little birds flitting making lovely music about but I can only recognise the crows and pigeons 🤣

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Lia Leendertz's avatar

That’s so interesting because in both things - dandelions and horse chestnut flowers - I think we’re about a week away. I was looking at the nearly-out flowers just yesterday

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Su's avatar

Oxslips peeping up through a lawn most unusual🍃 then to see a cacao tree in full fruiting bloom at the botanical gardens , where the jade vine flowers in its sapphire beauty at this time of year.

Nature at its most startling where plants respond to their environs 🙏My tulips are also peeping out now blushed with colour and standing straight wind tossed but that is April 🌧️

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Lia Leendertz's avatar

Wonderful

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Paul Satchwill's avatar

The hedge between me and my neighbor is finally starting to fill with green. I love my neighbor but the added privacy in spring and summer is appreciated!

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Lia Leendertz's avatar

Ha! Really…

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Jay's avatar

The starlings that nest each year in the eves of the roof opposite have been steeling my cowslips to offer each other, some of the red mason bees in my garden have hatched and my poly tunnel is bursting with seedlings

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Lia Leendertz's avatar

This is the third mention of cowslips this week…I think we have nailed their monent!

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Aster's avatar

Although I haven’t seen them, I’ve heard reports of spotted fawns and fuzzy harbor seal pups arriving this week. Around town the wisteria is popping and abuzz with all kinds of bee activity.

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Lia Leendertz's avatar

Oh seal pups! 🥰

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Sue's avatar

Hi Lia - our swallows have arrived - exciting chattering in the stables this week!

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Lia Leendertz's avatar

Wonderful! That must be a gorgeous sound to have around

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Ruby's avatar

Love the blossom - not warm enough here for ours yet. My three things are seeing the first bluebells nodding in the woods, the scent of wild garlic and, in France, seeing a red squirrel for the first time, amazing!

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Lia Leendertz's avatar

Fabulous

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