Joys of Spring

Yes Baggy it is - very - but a glorious sunny day with blue sky

A quiet day -
a nip in the air.
A quiet sea -
a chill in the deep.
A quiet sky -
wrapped in soft cloud.
A quiet land -
lit by pale sunlight.
A quiet cat -
asleep on his mat.

super not so quiet if browsing geraldines's site

My stupid apricot is now showing leaf, I can even even see some pink flower buds through my binoculars!

Just so, super - I can see it all in my mind's eye.

Look! We have .

The following was penned by Morgan Downie. I opened an address book yesterday, and discovered that I had cut the poem out of a newspaper. I think that you may like it. It is elegant and eloquent.

colour the water landscape

abundant grey
rain impending
sheeted blue
across the hills

blue where it touches
the sea, charcoal
the line of the horizon
the waves uneasy, gunmetal

green the drenched fields
trees irised with moisture
upturned soil ochres the ground
the distant hills, heavy lidded, indigo

here the white water falling
free from the stain of peat
each drop a jewel
as if granite itself
could weep quartz

Beautiful.

DH spotted a hedgehog this week. Snuffling around under the bird feeders.
Few little crocuses out here, but otherwise the cold snap seems to have at last put the natural world into a dormant state for the last couple of weeks.

Late yesterday afternoon, just before dusk, I heard, and then saw a large skein of geese in typical V formation flying north! . It's a bit early, isn't it?
Does this mean Spring really is on it's way.......?

First snowdrops opening in my garden today. It's only one indicator. It was a few days later last year and on the same date the year before that.

There was a fresh, thin, fall of snow on the hills overnight again.

well it will be Feb next week and if the weather stays like it is then it will be an early one. I keep peering into my garden pond wondering if the froglets I reared last year will return and lay eggs of their own. I have one little mini iris open today. It is a lovely mild morning with a bit of sunshine.
I also noticed that my holly bush, planted 7 years ago, has a berry, just the one, for the first time.

Forgive me for being picky, jess, but the latest weather-station-near-you recorded temp is 5º. That doesn't strike me as speically 'mild'. I'm glad you have sunshine though. Just wish we did too . Our temp is closer to 1ºC. Definitely not mild, especially with wind.

I want hedgehogs! I have a lovely organic garden which breeds the most enormous giant slugs and snails! I a sure they would be happy here.
But do I get any!
NO

We have a hedgehog and s/he is delightful. Hasn't come out of hibernation yet and I don't know which wood pile s/he's in so can't disturb any of them! It loves eating peanut nibs that the hens leave. I'm hoping it's a she and will have babies. <hope emoticon>

I think they're still tucked-up tight, jeni - sleeping the sleep of the innocent all winter long.

Felt mild in the garden when i went to the compost bin bagitha - bit of sun, no wind. And I am the first to whinge about being chilly. But of course i will forgive you for being picky. I kinda meant generally mild which it seems to have been here. And rather dry. It will be interesting to see how the stats are for January, as we have had only a few frosts and some temps over 10 deg.
You have a different climate up there for sure.
We are currently generating 1.29 kwh on the panels on the roof! Did I remember to turn on the washing machine to take advantage... x

7mm of rain water in my water guage last week - one overnight collection, and nothing since. It's been very mild, with only one half-hearted frost. It doesn't seem right for it to be so mild, but am enjoying, nevertheless, Mother Nature's contrariness. Love it.
for your solar panels, Jess.

This morning the snowdrops are flowering, there is a small rose that has opened in the front garden, and the blue tits are checking the nest boxes again. It worries me, because when we had frost a couple of weeks ago, some shoots were stopped in their tracks, and I don't want it to happen again.

I have a couple of new roses too, and primroses and snowdrops. It is a grey day here in Kent, though. But I have heard the s word mentioned.....!

yes it is definitely OUT in the south midlands, or northern home counties, or the western edge of east anglia... here anyway.

Huh! Though there is a brightening now.

Apparently we're getting sunshine tomorrow! YAY!

Meanwhile here's another plug for scientific records that will help our understanding of weather patterns: www.naturescalendar.org.uk/

Do take part if you can. It's fun recording your observations of seasonal events, especially over several years. And you get to see how things vary from one part of the country to another.

Water, water everywhere
drip dropping
splish splash
sploshing
pitter patter
puddling
wellie wading
wooping!

not having a drought up there are you...