Week 7

Dog rose leafing; dead hedge; snowdrops

This is a moment in the year that I have often missed. I am now deep into writing The Almanac 2024, and this has generally been the point that the deadline begins to hove alarmingly into view and I get that little trickle of panic, which quickly turns into ‘ok I’ve got to stop mucking about now’, make an agreement with my husband to vanish for the next month and a half and retreat upstairs to write and write and write. And so I have missed February and March, very often.

Now though I have dogs, and they’re not so keen on taking a month and a half off of walks. They drag me out. I get to walk and clear my head and I see the little changes. And I have this community to report back to, so I have to take notice. It’s been very good for me. Thank you.

This is a little bonus picture, and not one of my three things, from one of my walks this week. This is the Avon Gorge and the Suspension Bridge in the wintery sunshine. I think we can often overlook the spectacular in our own back yards, and this is ten minutes from my house. I will try to remember to post a picture of this whenever I notice it has changed - it’s certainly worth seeing in each season.

A re-cap for newcomers: in this regular weekly post I write three things that I have noticed this week that feel particularly ‘this week’ ish, and then you tell me yours, magical as they so often are. And each we kick off with a round-up of your last week’s comments, just because I love them.

Here’s your week 6:

Catkins which can now be swung as they blow out clouds of pollen; the rising sun over white fields; a jay ‘meowing’ in the garden; a moonbow; Venus and Jupiter sparkling after sunset; the first day of it smelling like spring; hazel tree prunings and a big bunch of daffodils in a vase; white and pink petals blooming on plum and cherry trees in Monterey Bay, California; a lesser-spotted woodpecker in the garden; stopping, sitting and turning your face to the sun for 15 minutes; drawing the curtains on a beautiful frosty morning and seeing two foxes and two hares in the field behind the house, with the orange sun rising on one side, and the icy full moon on the other (Ed: this comment wins this week, I think); snowshoeing through a thick blanket of snow in New Brunswick, Canada; a tiny border of snowdrops, cyclamen and crocuses; the return of the tawny owl with the full moon; the beech tree surrounded by crocuses; the appearance of hearts in the Parisian shops including truly beautiful chocolate creations; an increase in blackbird barnies; the first bumblebee; hanging washing on the line; a red admiral fresh out of hibernation; swathes of lilac crocuses and snowdrops in the cemetery.

And we have our first comment from the southern hemisphere! Rasping cicadas, blazing blue skies, black, iridescent damselflies and an almost dead lawn from the heat in New Zealand. Welcome!

Thank you all so much, your comments really make the week come alive for me, and I LOVE hearing about your seasonal stuff from around the world just as much as from down the road.

Here’s my week 7:

Dog rose leafing

I was walking past a clump of the dead stems of what I know to be dog rose in the park this week and…look! A beautiful, hopeful beginning. There will be pretty flowers in June that I am bound to post. So mark this moment.

Dead hedge

These ‘dead hedges’ are dotted all around one end of the Bristol Downs, which overlook the view of the gorge I posted at the top. They are not actually dead hedges, they are piles of dead growth that have been deliberately laid between posts to create a habitat. This one caught my eye because of its pretty ‘old man’s beard’ laid over it. All sorts of shifty stuff goes on up at the Downs and the man in the car definitely thought I was undercover police trying to take a snap of him, so I moved on very quickly.

Snowdrops

I feel I’m a bit behind everyone else here but this has been the week that I’ve really started to notice the snowdrops. Here they are alongside the stream in the woods. My very own snowdrops in my garden are starting to look the business too. Perhaps if I really don’t manage to leave the house this week I’ll post them next week…

That’s it from me. Please tell me all about your week below. What has made your week feel particularly seasonal, particularly ‘this week in the year?’

Remember that we have a chance to share pics on the ‘chat’ part of the Substack app as part of our Sunday morning chat. The eagle eyed will have noticed that it took place on Saturday last weekend…apologies! Looming-deadline brain does some strange things, including forgetting the day of the week, apparently! Normal service will be resumed this week.