We live near a heronry (a wonderful word I have just discovered) and have been keenly observing one nest which is inaccessible enough to humans for the herons to feel safe, but visible enough to see the chicks' weird little heads bobbing about! I'm excited because I've seen the juveniles before but I've never seen them pre-fledging.
The seeds on my kitchen window sill are all sprouting at once, courgette, lettuce, beans, sunflowers, what will I do with 20 courgette plants? give them away and I'm sure something will eat at least half of them.
That fresh lime green of the beech leaves coming out in the wood, and the luminous blue of the bluebells especially on a damp day
Going into the garden at 8 pm and hearing the cacophony of birdsong
Oh the lilac blowsy perfumed and feels very French in jugs in the house . Wild Garlic pesto astonishingly green and delicious with garlic buds steeped in white wine vinegar for later in the year -such a harvest from nature including jack in the hedge fresh sorrel leaves and hawthorn leaves too -garden tea with a slice of lemon 🍋
Nettle soup by the bucket load with thyme and cheese scones. Robin feeding loud chicks on the allotment. All the weathers in nearly North Yorkshire, wild hailstorms, winds, rain and a good dose of sun in-between. The peas and beans down the garden didn't survive it, poor babies.
Still feeling on hold here, after another cold week. But there’s frantic activity from the sparrows that live under the eaves of our house and lots of other pairs of birds about. There were two jays drinking from the greenhouse gutter yesterday. The sun’s angle is subtly changing day by day, reaching the whole garden now.
Morning Living Almanac friends - sorry for radio silence recently. Thought I’d give you a little update …I had my “ port” fitted and started my treatment on 16th. All went well, and since then I’ve been through the inevitable struggle with side effects ( which haven’t been major, all very much as expected, but uncomfortable and quite challenging) Now, I’m 12 days along, and my body is fighting back and I’m feeling stronger, more normal and definitely brighter. The joys of this beautiful season have never delighted me more! The acid green of new beech leaves, bluebells, apple blossom - birdsong. Each day, successive waves of new discoveries. I can only stay close to home for walks and fresh air, but we’ve driven to the top of the Downs to see the glorious patchwork of colours sweeping down to the coast.
I’m now in my last week or so until the next round, when I can live life more normally - and my taste and appetite have returned a bit, so I’m planning my treats!
This week for me is about fresh green leaves. The leaves have grown so much that they evelope the street lights and the lights does hardly get on the sidewalks in Jordanstreet.
Those colours are so bright, fresh - verdant! Here the trees are stripped and we are kicking away leaf drifts. Chasing sparrows off tender kale and broadbeans.
It’s an exciting time here in the third year of our food forest where apple and cherry blossom have attracted the insects to lay and the small birds are enjoying a feast. The rain has ceased for a while but April brought us a heavy hailstorm a few days ago followed by a night at -2C which froze the water in the bird baths. Crazy to remember the first weekend this month when we worked outdoors in the warmth of +25C ….
3 things this week: mowed grass for the first time this season, tulips in full bloom; barn swallows returned. Below freezing temps at night, but sunshine warms the afternoons.
Experiencing a different season in a wildly different landscape with swallows and skylarks skimming the pool, purple statice carpeting rugged coasts and a warm wind whipping up the sea, bringing sands from the Sahara 😎
Here in the Pacific northwest April has felt somewhat like March typically does..wind, rain, sun repeat. The forget me nots popped out this week. My favorite childhood flower. Lilacs have finally shown their faces..late this year but worth waiting for. I'm lingering longer and longer especially at daybreak when I take my dog out. Catching the Robin's first song and the last hoot of a tawny owl..special indeed. Debra(Washington state)
A very cold week, frost this morning. A much over due visit to our local nature reserve, more swallows have returned. A beautiful display by a red start as she wiggled her tail showing the red plumage, such a delightful sight.
Have I missed Sunday show & tell, I appear to have nothing when I click on the chat icon?. However I can access previous chats from the subscription section.
The rhubarb in our garden is barely tall enough to harvest, but I was able to pick enough to make the first rhubarb crisp of the year. Slightly tart and very tender under the crispy, sweet oatmeal streusel; an unforgettable springtime treat!
We live near a heronry (a wonderful word I have just discovered) and have been keenly observing one nest which is inaccessible enough to humans for the herons to feel safe, but visible enough to see the chicks' weird little heads bobbing about! I'm excited because I've seen the juveniles before but I've never seen them pre-fledging.
The seeds on my kitchen window sill are all sprouting at once, courgette, lettuce, beans, sunflowers, what will I do with 20 courgette plants? give them away and I'm sure something will eat at least half of them.
That fresh lime green of the beech leaves coming out in the wood, and the luminous blue of the bluebells especially on a damp day
Going into the garden at 8 pm and hearing the cacophony of birdsong
Oh the lilac blowsy perfumed and feels very French in jugs in the house . Wild Garlic pesto astonishingly green and delicious with garlic buds steeped in white wine vinegar for later in the year -such a harvest from nature including jack in the hedge fresh sorrel leaves and hawthorn leaves too -garden tea with a slice of lemon 🍋
Nettle soup by the bucket load with thyme and cheese scones. Robin feeding loud chicks on the allotment. All the weathers in nearly North Yorkshire, wild hailstorms, winds, rain and a good dose of sun in-between. The peas and beans down the garden didn't survive it, poor babies.
Still feeling on hold here, after another cold week. But there’s frantic activity from the sparrows that live under the eaves of our house and lots of other pairs of birds about. There were two jays drinking from the greenhouse gutter yesterday. The sun’s angle is subtly changing day by day, reaching the whole garden now.
First elderflower in blossom - just one splash at the moment, looking forward to the torrent to come.
Morning Living Almanac friends - sorry for radio silence recently. Thought I’d give you a little update …I had my “ port” fitted and started my treatment on 16th. All went well, and since then I’ve been through the inevitable struggle with side effects ( which haven’t been major, all very much as expected, but uncomfortable and quite challenging) Now, I’m 12 days along, and my body is fighting back and I’m feeling stronger, more normal and definitely brighter. The joys of this beautiful season have never delighted me more! The acid green of new beech leaves, bluebells, apple blossom - birdsong. Each day, successive waves of new discoveries. I can only stay close to home for walks and fresh air, but we’ve driven to the top of the Downs to see the glorious patchwork of colours sweeping down to the coast.
I’m now in my last week or so until the next round, when I can live life more normally - and my taste and appetite have returned a bit, so I’m planning my treats!
This week for me is about fresh green leaves. The leaves have grown so much that they evelope the street lights and the lights does hardly get on the sidewalks in Jordanstreet.
Lia’s picture reminded me of this lovely little poem by Robert Bridges ….
Spring goeth all in white,
Crowned with milk-white May
In fleecy flocks of light
O'er heaven the white clouds stray:
White butterflies in the air;
White daisies prank the ground:
The cherry, apple and the pear
Scatter their snow around.
Those colours are so bright, fresh - verdant! Here the trees are stripped and we are kicking away leaf drifts. Chasing sparrows off tender kale and broadbeans.
It’s an exciting time here in the third year of our food forest where apple and cherry blossom have attracted the insects to lay and the small birds are enjoying a feast. The rain has ceased for a while but April brought us a heavy hailstorm a few days ago followed by a night at -2C which froze the water in the bird baths. Crazy to remember the first weekend this month when we worked outdoors in the warmth of +25C ….
3 things this week: mowed grass for the first time this season, tulips in full bloom; barn swallows returned. Below freezing temps at night, but sunshine warms the afternoons.
Experiencing a different season in a wildly different landscape with swallows and skylarks skimming the pool, purple statice carpeting rugged coasts and a warm wind whipping up the sea, bringing sands from the Sahara 😎
Here in the Pacific northwest April has felt somewhat like March typically does..wind, rain, sun repeat. The forget me nots popped out this week. My favorite childhood flower. Lilacs have finally shown their faces..late this year but worth waiting for. I'm lingering longer and longer especially at daybreak when I take my dog out. Catching the Robin's first song and the last hoot of a tawny owl..special indeed. Debra(Washington state)
A very cold week, frost this morning. A much over due visit to our local nature reserve, more swallows have returned. A beautiful display by a red start as she wiggled her tail showing the red plumage, such a delightful sight.
Have I missed Sunday show & tell, I appear to have nothing when I click on the chat icon?. However I can access previous chats from the subscription section.
🌸🪴🌸
The rhubarb in our garden is barely tall enough to harvest, but I was able to pick enough to make the first rhubarb crisp of the year. Slightly tart and very tender under the crispy, sweet oatmeal streusel; an unforgettable springtime treat!