April 25th, 2012

What a difference a week has made!!!

The trees are all leafed out - that tender green that only spring indulges in...

Here are daffodils I gathered from the garden on the hill, just ten days ago.....

The bulbs in the side garden here in town were still quite tentative about making a full blown appearance.

and the willows along the old river bed were still yellow with catkins

during the week Frank helped put the Lady back up on her pedestal

and the birds all gathered at the fountain for a drink

the peonies that have been growing in this garden for a few years are now in bud, while

the new arrivals from the hill garden are a little slower in getting started

bythe middle of the week the jonquils and daffodils were flourishing

the Olalla bushes along the back of the 'park' were dainty in white

and the willows were green as grass.....

.
The quince is in bloom, and a lovely surprise..

 this frail vine with delicate white blossom - what can it be?

 the tulips in the  evening
and below they open to the morning sun....  while Callie surveys it all, inquisitively.  She loves to be outside and has mastered the Cat Door  both coming and going!

 Finally we arrive at today, (which, incidentally, marks the anniversary of the day that Charles and I met sixty nine years ago, down by the riverside)

In celebration our new little patch of hankie lawn at the front skewered its tiny seeds down into the black loam and popped up slender green spears to give the whole thing a lovely verdant aura!

I went to the hill garden in the morning and brought home a small hosta, a bit of white phlox and a piece of blue montano.

Here are the tulips that are blooming in that garden, as beautiful as ever....

and the flowering almond which was too well rooted to make the trip to town with us

the view of the Cawston hills as comforting as always.

and here is the little bed of bulbs and summer flowers that sits outside the picket fence

eager to wave at passers-by.

It has been a fine week in the garden. although a sad one as we waited while death came with tender

arms and took our dear friend Joan into a place of peace and quietness and friends long gone.