Tuesday 14 April 2015

Flowers.... finally

Spring is such a beautiful season here.  The sun shines - even if it is not really warm - and the birds start to return from their winter migration.  Bulbs poke green spikes through the still cold soil, and finally flowers start to appear.

The tulips are magnificent this year.  All the (hundreds) of bulbs that I have transplanted are starting to flower and the borders are a blaze of red and yellow.  There are still hundreds of tulip bulbes to be dug up and transplanted to a better position, but that will have to wait till after they finish flowering now.

This year I have hyacinths and anenomes in the borders also.  The hyacinths are so pretty and smell lovely.  I think the anenomes will be better next year.  A bit sparse and spindly this year.  I have a few different types of daffodils and jonquils now in the borders.  These ones are especially pretty with their apricot centres.

In the orchard the fruit trees are flowering and the air is filled with the intoxicating aroma of blossoms.  I love walking through the orchard and seeing all the blooms and knowing that we will have fruit again this year.  Although, in the case of the cherries, it is never a sure thing.  I have masses of blossom on the tree, but we need good weather and conditions to have fruit in may/june.  So far we have not had any fruit from this tree in teh three years we have lived here.  I am hoping we don't get storms, high winds or any other disasterous conditions in the next month or so.

My rhubarb has come back to life and is growing very fast.  Will need to start picking soon!  Yum!!!

We have a little visitor at present.  A young male cat came in very battered and unwell.  He is absolutely adorable and just wants to be loved.  I am looking for a home for him, as I simply can't keep him.  Three cats is enough! (Four and I am officially a crazy cat lady....) He follows me around begging to be picked up and cuddled.  I was trying to take photos in the garden, and he kept putting himself between me and the flowers.  So I took a few snaps of him too.
This is the "I am so cute you must stop what you are doing and cuddle me" pose.....

My girls are laying well and we have plenty of eggs to eat at present.  None of them seem to be interested in sitting on the eggs though, which is a nuisance.  Will have to get a Chinese silky hen to hatch my chicks I think.