More Snowdrops

I took so many photos of the snowdrops on my walk that I thought I`d share a few more with you all.   To me they are such a beautiful flower and one of my favourites.   I marvel at the way something so small and fragile looking can struggle through the earth at this time of year and withstand the cold, frost and all that the climate gives it at this time of year. 

Looking closely at the snowdrops, there were many different kinds too- like this one with the lovely green petals and shading, which one couldn`t see unless you gently lifted its head - or as in this case, put the camera underneath it!

This to me was a good sign of new life among the old, with the fallen and decaying tree trunk and the fresh new snowdrops.   So encouraging, so hopeful.

Come for a stroll

Come for a stroll with me through the beautiful gardens full of azaleas and rhododendrons which I spent a pleasant Sunday afternoon admiring.... and photographing.


Along grassy paths.......

.... round ponds and streams......





I think this one has to be my favourite, for the way it was standing up so straight and tall.


From a distance they just looked like a mass of colour, but stopping to take time to stand and look closely at the blooms, I discovered that they weren`t all a single colour, (if you click on them you`ll see clearer what I mean) there were tints and shades and markings, all going to make each one an individual. ......
.........Guess that`s a bit like people too - when we take time to get to know them

A Sign of Spring

I bought this bunch of daffodils a fortnight ago when then were in the pencil stage (buds straight up) and have watched them gradually bend their heads and slowly open to reveal the beauty of their flowers, and this is how they look today. They really brighten up the kitchen, and cheer me whenever I look at them. Not that I`m sad, but they somehow just can`t help but lift ones spirits even higher.

Why in the kitchen, you may wonder - well for a couple of reasons. Firstly that I spend quite a bit of time in there, secondly because it`s cool, so they last a long time and I can watch them as they change from bud to flower, a small change every day, until they come to their full potential and beauty.

What joy a single bunch of flowers can give.

Jugs of Wine

Enjoy these jugs of wine today.
No time to write anything else!

One of the activities I enjoy is visiting flower festivals, and this weekend I found two churches to visit.
So here are some pictures from one of them for you to enjoy too.

'Red sky at night, shepherds delight`..



`Birds of a feather flock together'

Favourite beauty

Having posted a photo of a beautiful flower in our garden last week, I just have to follow that up with a picture of my favourite flower. Also in the garden.

Of all the flowers there are, the Lily of the Valley is my favourite. It`s so dainty, its bells all so perfect and so pettily shaped. It looks so fragile, yet is so strong.


And, it has a wonderful perfume. So amazing for the size of the flowers is the strength of perfume which exudes from it. I put just 6 stems of it in a vase and it has perfumed the room, and it`s not a perfume that quickly fades, it lasts for several days.

Lily of the Valley is top of my favourite flower list. Wonder what tops others lists?

Beauty

I just had to take a photo of these flowers in our garden today and share them with you. They looked so beautiful with the sun shining on it. What an intricate work of nature they are.

A Host of Golden Daffodils

The snow was falling heavily here at dinner time today and covering everything with a soft white blanket.

An hour later - it was spring again! The sun was out, the snow all melted, so off we went for a drive in the countryside... and this is what we found.....




....beautiful fields of Daffodils. I just had to stop and get my camera out to capture them.

A second flowering

I`ve not been very well over the weekend, I don`t know if it was a reaction to the tablets that made me sick, or whether it was what was causing the pain that did it, so hence I couldn`t think of anything to write, but I`ve enjoyed watching the second stem on my Amaryllis come into bloom. Its got 3 huge flowers on, so I thought I`d share a view of it with you all today. What a wonderful bulb it was to give a total of 7 beautiful flowers, all at least 6 inches across. (Sorry, if you don`t work in proper measurements, its about 15cm.)

It`s Flowering!

The buds have now burst open on the Amaryllis, which I posted a picture of as just showing signs of opening the other day.... and here it is.



As you can see there are already two flowers open and two more buds to open on the same stalk, and there`s also another flower stem appearing. It`s getting so tall that I`ve had to stake it and tie it to keep it from going over.

A taste of Spring

I just had to share this sight of spring with you, which I came across unexpectedly in our church this morning. I just turned round from shutting a door and it caught my eye. It brightened a dark corner and said so clearly Spring is coming.

Blue flower.

I`ve had a busy week, so no time to really think what to write on my blog. But, so that you don`t all think I`ve disappeared off the face of the earth, here`s a picture of a flower I took sometime last summer. Don`t know what it is. Maybe a reader does?
It was such a pretty shade of blue, and so dainty. I love dainty flowers.

Flowers

I`ll share with you today scenes from a Flower Festival I was at today.

Flowers

No time to write much, so enjoy the photo of these beautiful flowers which I took today. Just look at the red rose, isn`t it beautiful and wonderful the way it`s petals at the center look to be unfurling. A real joy to behold. Another wonder of nature.

A White covering

Walking though a park last week, we saw ahead of us a large white patch by the lake, it looked like snow, but this was in May and the sun was shining quite warmly, so we walked closer to see what it was. One first though was that it was blossom which had blown off the nearby trees, but as we got closer we discovered what it really was.... hundreds and thousands of daisies. A really beautiful sight.

(I would have shared this with you last week, but forgot to take the lead to connect my camera to the lap top. The one thing out of all the luggage that I took with me that I omited to pack!!)

Another Bird

Driving along this afternoon, down a country lane, having passed some nice patches of daffodils, my attention was caught by something big, black and white sitting on a wall. So, checking that no other traffic was coming I backed several yards back up the road to investivate, and found this looking at us. We stopped and sat looking at a bird. We couldn`t decide if it was a duck or a goose. (anyone know?)



It seemed so unusual to find a web footed bird, and a fairly large one at that, sitting on a low country garden wall. It was totally unafraid of the car and as we sat there it continued with preening its feathers, giving me a chance to get my camera out. Dare we open the window, we wondered or would it fly away? After taking some pictures with the window up, we gently opened the car window...

...the bird took not the slightest bit of notice and continued alternately preening its feather and stopping to give us a quizzical look.

But, what was it, and why was it sitting on a wall... we looked at it as quizzically at it looked at us!

Golden Daffodils

Having been able to do more driving this week than I normally do, I`ve been amazed by the amount of daffodils I`ve seen flowering. Not just in gardens, but in banks, roundabouts, tubs, verges, beside busy roads and even on remote country lanes, somehow everwhere you go there are daffodils nodding their head cheerily as you pass. Some in big patches, others just a single flower or two together, all delightful.

It makes me wonder how the ones in country lanes or beside the main roads got there. Has someone gone and purposely planted them to delight those that pass by, and if so what a lovely thoughtful action that was.

If anyone of you who planted daffodils reads this..THANK YOU !