Spring Prelude

 

Fine rain fell as I walked through Butchart Gardens with a friend this morning. Signs of spring are popping out everywhere. Witch Hazel has such unique flowers, like wild morning hair sticking out in every direction. 

In one of the restaurant venues, before the hordes of tourists arrive in late spring and summer, there is more than a hint of spring. Walking in the door we are greeted with warm air scented with the freshness of spring. Here are azaleas in bloom.

A bright Tulip Magnolia bursts with colour, adding cheer to a dull day. Mixed among the spring bulbs and flowering trees are paths with tropical plants - orchids, anthuriums, and even a tiny pineapple.

Throughout the indoor garden there is the sound of water - small waterfalls pour into ponds dotted with koi, large pots burble with water that fills then slides down the outside - a lovely backdrop. 

I recently found an slim, hardcover Mary Stewart book in a used bookstore. Going through the front pages I recognized several titles in the list of books authored by Stewart, but I couldn't tell you the plots of the stories, for I read them many years ago, probably as a teenager. Then I was all about the action and the romance. I brought The Stormy Petrel home and have just finished it. What a lovely story set on an island off the west coast of Scotland. The descriptions of scenery and bird life are exquisite, and there is just enough action to keep the story moving. I closed the book with a deep sigh of satisfaction. 

Here is one quotation I'll leave with you - "...the sound of birds and sea adds up to silence as beautifully as we ever know it in the noisy world of today..." 

In all the turmoil and noise of today's world, taking time to be silent and listen to nature, or to the quiet of home can still and calm us and help us focus on living and doing our everyday tasks knowing that of these moments our lives are composed.