Spring Is On The Way

That's California for you . . .

Managed a walk along by the river and through the nearby woods before the rains came back. Heard the second Chiffchaff of the year, this one singing, but no Siskins in the riverside alders as I would have expected in a normal year.

Lots of celandines now out, and blossom on a few early cherries and wild plums, including the ones in the garden that grew from the rootstocks when I had the cherries cut down. Finally I watched a couple of hares sparring in the back field while making a salmon stir-fry. I mean, I was making the stir fry, the hares were probably eating the rape.

Spring has sprung a leak   wintry showers and heavy rain all day 

We've had a better day today ... but of course so many deep puddles at the sides of the roads, the drains have not coped too well with all the wet stuff coming from those dark clouds!
Roll on Spring quickly please!

Actually as I look out of the window now the weather is not too bad but more rain tomorrow.
April showers I guess

All the best Jan

At least it was dry today but the wind was not kind. Rumour has it that the sun will shine tomorrow.

At least the primrose hordes are lining the field ditches and there are daffodils everywhere.

We had a wonderful spring-like day on Friday ... not too bad yesterday ... alas it didn't make three days in a row!!!
Rain today

All the best Jan

Yup the sunny saturday was a myth, it rained in the morning and the evening and was mostly overcast in between. Still my magnolia stellata is coming out, glorious persil white, beating the neighbours who have pink ones.. Also flowers on my flowering currant which my father always claimed smelled like tomcats, and the first flowers are showing on the rape in the back field.

I've got a pink magnolia that's in full bloom but I don't know which variety it is 

It's been a lovely spring day today pleasantly warm with only a light breeze was able to get some tidying up in the garden, sadly rain forecast tomorrow don't seem to get two consecutive days of fine weather just hope it's going to improve

I love magnolia trees ... the blossom is beautiful.

We have a pink camellia blooming at the moment

However, we also have rain
April showers are continuing ...

All the best Jan

Jan1 wrote:I love magnolia trees ... the blossom is beautiful.

We have a pink camellia blooming at the moment

However, we also have rain
April showers are continuing ...

All the best Jan

Same here Jan it's been a wet day and turned chilly with it 

Stellatas have star shaped flowers

https://www.bigplantnursery.co.uk/plants/magnolia-stellata-rosea_pink-star_283.html

My pink one is later and has the standard cup-shaped flowers.

Oh yes I spotted my first Camellia in flower the other day. There used to be a garden with some excellent ones in assorted colours but after the old wall fell down they replaced it with a higher one and the wrought iron gate with a wooden one so you can no longer see them

At least it didn't rain today but it was foggy throughout. Currently I have a wallflower and the first of the forgetmenot hordes, and a couple of muscari, and there are loads of scented violets in some of the neighbours' lawns and roadsides. Mine aren't out enough to smell - yet. A few more wildflowers out on the roadsides in between the primroses. And more hedges with green buds, oh and the blackthorns are now coming into flower along with the wild plums and pussy willows.

Thanks for the link Chris - what a lovely shade of pink that is.

I just love this time of year with all the trees, plants, shrubs etc. coming into bloom.
It would be almost perfect ... except for the rain
Mind you it could be worse ...

All the best Jan

More rain and fog here too. I forgot the sticky buds on the horse chestnuts in a farm drive which are still low enough to touch. Takes me back to childhood.

Two more foggy days, but there's a Blackbird carrying food to the female on their nest.

It's been an overcast day with a few showers but it is feeling warmer just hope the promised good weather arrives as forecast 

Would be nice for a change, this has probably been one of the most miserable springs I can remember so far.

My cousins a postie he reckons it's been the worst winter and early spring he can remember, although he loves his job he's decided to retire before next winter sets in   and I don't really blame him

Can't say I blame him.

back in the day I knew the postie where some friends lived up in Cumbria. They gave him a van but he didn't use it because when he walked his round he could use a lot of shortcuts (though he did once nearly come a cropper when they sent an unexpected train through while he was walking over the viaduct and he had to hang over the side) and he used to keep an eye on the old folks and ill people, and drop by for the odd cuppa.

The poor guys here practically have to run from door to door, and then back to the van for the next load. The workload is horrendous and none of them seem to last long.

I think they missed a few days during the worst of the snow before the road got cleared. Normally the council here are well on top of the job with the gritters - they even have one on a quad bike for the footpaths - but this year they were overwhelmed too.

My youngests husband is a postman and reckons he walks 12 miles every day.
He eats what he likes and is as thin as a herring!
D.

Long birder wrote:My youngests husband is a postman and reckons he walks 12 miles every day.
He eats what he likes and is as thin as a herring!
D.

Yes posties do put a lot of mileage in should at least keep them fit, my cousins covers a rural area delivering in small outlying villages so he has a lot of driving to do, I don't know how many miles he covers on foot though could be a lot less than 12 miles 

I'm one of those who could eat what I liked without gaining weight, still keep the calories up just need to watch the carbs now

Just spotted my first butterfly, a Peacock. Others have reported seeing them sooner but in general they seem to be late appearing, I wonder if the late cold saw them off.

   

Yippee the sun is shining - a glorious day.
Hope it's shining where you are too!

All the best Jan

These last few sunny days have given spring a turbocharger. Masses of cowslips now erupting among the primroses and I've seen more butterflies, mainly tortoisehells and a couple more peacocks, some whites over the rape fields which are now bursting into flower, and yes! a brimstone quartering the hedge along the edge of a field. More bumble bees and bee flies and even a couple of wasps which looked too small to be queens. Masses of leaves, and catkins on the hornbeams, and the first couple of bluebells out in a wood, along with some of my garden ones which are those damn Spanish bluebells, and some fritillaries in the lawn. We still have a few fritillary meadows here which I shall have to visit.

I really should take a picture !

The blossom trees locally are looking fantastic with different shades of pink ... just love the Spring when we have dry, sunny weather

All the best Jan

Today's weather has been a typical April showers day ...
One minute blue sky and sunshine, the next grey clouds and rain.

Eddie and I were fortunate to enjoy a walk this afternoon. He said 'I'll take an umbrella just in case' ... good job he did.

Stopped off on the way home to get some more cheese, we'd eaten the last of the Camembert yesterday ... fridge is now re-stocked ...  

All the best Jan