As seasons go – and man, do they go fast for those of us on the less popular side of 40 – spring has a lot to recommend it. The very best thing is that nature stops hiding its colourful light under a damp, grey, bushel, and comes out to frolic.
Look at these beautiful snakeshead fritillaries!
It’s trickier than usual to be miserable when there’s so much new life around, such as the bottle-fed lambs in the twinnage’s friend’s garden. Meet Alfie. Alfie is trouble.
But Alfie gets away with trouble because Alfie is cute. Yeah, you just eat those flowers, Alfie. We can always plant some more.
And spring is a great time for lying on the ground in an orchard, looking like an idiot whilst Selma of EclecticHomeLife secretly takes a photo of you.
Selma didn’t warn me that she was taking this picture. Still, on the plus side that means that there’s one less Christmas card to send out this year. 😉
And of course now’s the time when garden wildlife gets busy in a way that means I have to explain the facts of life to the twinnage. Mummy and Daddy Wood Pigeon love each other very much, and sometimes they have special cuddles on the roof, and on the telegraph wires, also in the tree, and indeed pretty much everywhere you look right now, because they’re not much good at discretion. Do please try to avert your eyes, my innocent children…
Meanwhile, after flirting with a variety of women, Colin the house sparrow has settled down to live with Sylvia in the nest box.
They’re doing OK, but sometimes they have a bit of a squabble, and Colin goes and sulks on the pergola for a while.
Here’s Sylvia:-
We also have Robyn the robin, who has figured out that quite often my presence in the garden involves digging, which leads to an easy meal. Robyn has taken to following me around at close range, and has even introduced me to one of her children. Robyn has also taken to standing on the table outside the sitting room window when I’m indoors, guilt-tripping me into going out to do some gardening. You may think Robyn is singing cutely, but actually she’s screaming FETCH ME MORE DINNER, WENCH!
Another thing I love about this time of year is that the seeds I’ve planted have had time to germinate, yet there hasn’t yet been time to over/under-water/heat them to death, so they’re looking reasonably healthy.
All those possibilities! There are peas and beans and tomatoes and herbs, as well as some flowers from seed that I gathered last autumn. Dinner should be ready in about three months’ time, OK?
Anyway, I really must stop staring out of the window and go and do some knitting…
Happy yarnery, people.
Phil x
Am so enjoying you and your photos and your works of knitted glory
Thank you. *blushes*
You are sooo funny!! Just love that you are so in tune with everything that ‘springs’ up around us at this time (and any other time) of year!! Loving the photography…and the yarnery ^=_=^ xxx
Awww, thank you!
Please do look out of that window. It’s such a short time. Enjoy it to the fullest. Oh and it’s a rather nice picture of you. Wait until your sons start to make pictures. Unflattered gets a whole new dimension.
Thank you. Also, oh dear! Sounds as though you’re speaking from experience? My sons have discovered the joys of photography, but fortunately they have zero interest in capturing any pictures of their mother. Phew! I may have ruined my children, however: one of them wanted to take a photo of a Lego model that he’d made yesterday, and he came and asked me for something he could use as a photographic backdrop. Oops.
Can I have some of your sweetpeas. They look so healthy and eager to grow!! Well done you!
Don’t worry, I’ll have neglected everything to death by the end of the week…
What a fun post! I did wonder why you had a lamb on your garden table so I’m glad you enlightened us 🙂 We have Mr and Mrs Woodpigeon doing their “dance” as well. Spring has sprung! xx
Isn’t it a beautiful time of year? 🙂
I live in Portland, OR and your weather resembles mine. Very late spring here and my late spring blooming tulips might end up as early summer blooms. I want to squeeze Alfie! What part do you live in?
Alfie does love cuddles! As for your question, I’m in Oxfordshire, UK. Interesting that your season is matching ours. 🙂
Love little Alfie!!
He’s a sweetie!
This is very awesome!! I love seeing these as they give me hope that we’ll have spring soon!
I hope spring arrives for you very, very soon.
Alfie is SOOOOO cute, if only he’d stay that size… having your own yarn source could be a nice addition to the garden don’t you think?
Yes! That would be so perfect. And he could keep the grass short (and the flowers..)
You are definitely one of my favorite people EVER – that’s all I have to say.
And you are far too kind, as always!
So lovely reading this! Loved every photo- you are awesome x
Thank you!
Ms. House Sparrow looks rather stern on her perch. I think she is broadcasting a don’t-come-back-without-a-peace-offering warning to Mr. Sparrow.
She does seem like quite a serious sort.
I don’t have a cute little lamb but I do have a cute mediumish daughter’s dog that keeps destroying my plants in pursuit of lizards, and we have many, many lizards! But she’s so cute that I can’t be mad for long, especially when she’s not chasing lizards, she very carefully tiptoes through my garden so as not to step on my plants. How could I be mad? 🙂
You can get away with a LOT when you’re that cute.