April Showers Bring April Flowers!

"April was just beginning...And everyone was silent, deep in thought, and everything around was welcoming, young, so near - the trees, the sky, even the moon - and one wanted to think it would always be so." (Anton Chekhov)

The air is soft in late afternoon or early evening. Perfect for walking. Plenty of grey skies and rain mean that everything is green, green, green, a thousand shades of green, and the blossoms are popping out everywhere. Henderson Shooting Stars (Dodecatheon hendersonii) grown on thin stems that seem barely strong enough to hold up the flowers. When I looked up the Latin name today I learned that Shooting Stars are in the primula family. Do they grow in your corner of the globe?

A magnificent trio of prunus trees grows in one garden along a nearby street. The ground beneath is covered in soft pale petals and more petals drift downwards in the slightest breeze. I was caught by their beauty and spent a fair bit of time admiring the trees as I approached. 

Today is Palm Sunday and I wonder, should the Triumphal Entry of Christ have occurred in our city, if we might have waved cherry blossom branches in place of palms to praise the Lord.

We spent some time with friends this weekend, visiting Poet's Cove on Pender Island. I went for a walk with one friend, in steady rain. We returned quite drenched, just in time to see the clouds dissipate and the sky turn blue. There is a Great Blue Heron that I've seen on several visits who likes to fish along the rocky shore facing the dock. He's a handsome fellow, don't you think, with the varying shades of blue and the soft breast feathers that seem to float in the air? 

We watched him stretch out his neck and stand, motionless and intent, and then, quick as a flash, duck his beak into the water and come up with a fish which he promptly swallowed. He then retracted his neck, turned, and picked his way along the rocks to shore.

When we visit Poet's Cove we reserve a cottage with a kitchen so that we can prepare our own food. And we eat well. One couple prepared a dinner with barbecued beer can chicken, and a carrot orzo side dish. Another couple provided a salad and I brought along some sourdough bread that we baked there. Dessert was a lemon tart, a small dish of cold blackberry soup, and white chocolate hazelnut pralines. We are thankful for good friends with whom we laugh and sometimes cry, share delicious food, and wonderful conversation ranging from gardening to politics to religion to travel. We might not agree on everything, and that's just fine. 

Tulips are beginning to bloom here and there, and these pretty ones are on the deck at Poet's Cove. 

Linking with Mosaic Monday hosted by Angie of Letting Go of the Bay Leaf. 

Bright and Cold

When our temperatures hover around freezing here in the temperate rainforest, we call it cold. Those in more northerly regions scoff. Cold is a relative term. 

Spring is en route, but winter continues to hold sway. Frosty nights are followed by bright sunny days. It's enough for flowers to appear, such as the Henderson Shooting Stars above. The glow of colour in the background is a naturalized lawn of crocuses and shooting stars.

The crocuses are just beginning to open, tentatively unfurling a petal or two. 

In the late afternoon, a gnarled Garry Oak stands out against the clear sky. 


We walked quickly, for we had dressed according to the sunshine, not the temperature. Brrr. It was good to come indoors to the blast of warmth. 

Our Valentine celebration was a simple affair at home, made special by the effort of setting a table with a vintage tablecloth given to my in-laws on their wedding day 63 years ago today. China, crystal, and linen lift a meal to a celebration. 

Tonight we lingered over dessert (chocolate souffle cakes), tea, and candlelight, chatting together about the years we've spent together. No regrets at all about choosing each other.

One more bit of green - I do love moss. Happy Valentine's Day to each of my readers.  

An Evening Walk

An evening walk. 7:30 and the sky is blue. There's still plenty of pink in the trees, but more and more it's being replaced by varying shades of green.

Fluffy pink against the blue.

In the naturalized lawn along my path the grape hyacinths are nearly finished and now Henderson's Shooting Stars (Dodecatheon Hendersonii) cluster in bunches. 

My path takes me along suburban streets, but also through wooded parks and trails where fawn lilies continue to bloom profusely.

The bluebells are beginning to bloom. Along the streets each garden has something in bloom - daffodils, tulips, clematis, rhododendrons, azaleas, and more. Colour bursts out on every corner.

A steady patter of bird calls fills the air with sound as the birds hide in the trees and sing themselves to sleep. Can you find the lone robin sitting on a branch in this photo?

Home again and the light is fading quickly.

An easy dinner this week used up the last of the ham (other than the bone). Frittata with broccoli, mushrooms, ham, eggs, and a bit of cheese.

It's been a long week, in spite of the Monday holiday. Report cards are done, whew, and we're paddling down the rapids of the last term. One more day of classes and then the weekend. Dinner with friends is on the calendar, and other than that there will be gardening, housekeeping, and relaxation.

To See the Flowers

 

Young Miss S and her mother came by this morning. One of my goals for spring break is to spend some time with the grands. Our sunshine is hit and miss these days, but no rain fell, so we set off for a little walk to see the flowers. 
  

The naturalized lawn we pass is now scattered with blue Scilla, also known as Siberian Squill. It's visible in the background above. There are just a few Henderson's Shooting Stars in bloom: the pink flower in sharp focus above.
 

A close up of the Shooting Star, aptly named, don't you think? 

A cluster of Scilla grows between the rock wall and the sidewalk in a perfect bouquet form.
 

A collage of our Little Miss with her coordinated hat, boots, jacket and glasses. I love how closely she inspected the grape hyacinths growing beside the sidewalk. She squatted down, stroked the flower, turned it this way and that, all without pulling it up.

Late morning we picked up cousin Miss A from preschool and had a special lunch together at McDonald's. I won't need to return there any time soon. Then off went Miss S homeward for her afternoon nap, while Miss A and I visited Butchart Gardens. That will be the subject of tomorrow's post.