Monday, April 11, 2011

April 11th, 2011



The sun shines, but April still shows her fickle side as random clouds
 drop snow lightly on the Cawston Bench.

As I struggle with the Cutch Grass and follow its long straggly roots half way
across a bed of Iris I feel the warmth of the sun on my back
and the fresh spring breeze on my arms.

When I glance up there is a shimmer of green on the curly willows, -
tiny leaves are opening and create this lovely aura around the trees,
and they glitter in the sunshine.



Two red winged blackbirds converse back and forth amongst
the branches, and I scold them as I see them for their impudence in gathering their friends around to eat most of  the buds off the forsythia tree closest to the bird feeders.
I think about moving the forsythia tree away to safety, but then decide 
it will be easier next year to move the feeders to another spot, away from the shrubbery.



I pick a few violets to bring their tender fragrance into the house,
and admire the little patch of daffodils that are ringed around the 
Philadelphia Orange.




Too soon it is time for lunch and I look around regretfully at the beds 
that need new compost and and the new peony bed that is infested with grass
and dandelions.  Still, tomorrow is another day, and it shows sunny on the
weather report.

I have been reading a garden book, - a remainder that I picked up at the
pharmacy and one that is quite a bit more up-to-date than the more formal
tomes I use for research.  This is a book by Katherine Whiteside, entitled "The Way We Garden Now".  Full of wonderfully concise tips on easy ways to garden -
most appealing to someone whose energy is not what it was, but who still finds these new ideas appealing.

What do you think of a Sunflower Folly???
I can imagine a small table, a couple of chairs, a cup of tea.
(or even some other refreshment) 
in the midst of marvelous waves of colour,
with the bees buzzing round
and the sunshine filtering through the lovely tall branches
and in the fall, when the seeds have ripened,  the
little birds that come to feast and visit.



Heavenly!

What will Charles think of it, I wonder???

4 comments:

Penny said...

sounds wonderful, here we are getting into winter a bit early which is good, we dont have snow but lots of rain and it is cold, probably mild to you but the fire is now lit and will probably be going through to october.

The Weaver of Grass said...

An anything folly sounds lovely to me Hildred. Bother the weeds - they'll still be there tomorrow.

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

You are the only blogger I read who makes me miss gardening! (I often miss the spring flowers -- which aren't the same here in Florida -- but I usually don't miss actually getting my hands dirty.) You make the whole experience so beautiful -- a meditation. (I think my daughter feels that way about her gardens -- I never learned to love gardening that much, but I wish I had.)

Happy Spring! Enjoy the feel of the sun on your back -- that sounds so lovely.

Barb said...

You've started me dreaming of a Sunflower Folly - not in the mountains but perhaps against my fence in the tiny side yard in Denver. Even with snow on your mountains, your garden is saying it's spring.