Things are starting to bud up. Camellias appear to be flowering early, here in the south of the UK anyway. The Edgeworthia in our garden (below) is now in full swing, and our Witch Hazels are looking good as well.
Yesterday was 'A Good Day' as they say. We had various work things to get through on the telephone and computer, but we made it a restful day as things are still a little quiet.
We started off with a 6am visit to Branksome Chine to catch the sunrise. It was dark when we arrived, but already there were the usual bunch of dog walkers, meditators, and swimmers. We gave up on the swimming a month ago.....way too cold now, but the brave stalwarts who still persist made the hurried run in and out of the icy sea. Even the sand was covered in frost.
We strolled, made tea, and took a few photos. The horizon started off a deep red, before the sun came up and bathed everything in a bright orange. Photos never seem to do it justice.
A little later we headed to Christchurch. A town to the east of where we live, and an area where a lot of our work takes us. The priory, almost a thousand years old, is always a joy to visit. I remember Christmas carol services with the private school I attended as a child, Homefield School, and 'ladishly' singing our own adapted words to the original tunes. All in best trousers, shoes, caps and blazers. A beautiful church.
The grounds, although quite bare at this time of year, were lovely. They have recently undergone some major renovation, exposing some interesting old parts of the grounds originally hidden.
We walked along the stream by it to the nearby quay, and enjoyed the swans that always congregate their in large numbers. It was very cold, and so a latte and mint tea in the nearby Soho's warmed us up.
We finally made it back home, where more sorting of our own garden was continued. I worked my way through the tool shed in preparation for servicing all of the machinery ready for the summer, and Amanda started to jet wash the patio so that we could re-point it shortly.
What are you all doing to get ready for the spring?
Nice to know other places are warming up to stay warm. We have had a mild winter up here. But way too soon for signs of new growth. Our normal winters had 40 inches of snow by now with more on the way. This year we've had about 20 in 3 snowfalls and it melted off within a week or so. The new normal. Our white magnolias are the first trees to bloom and they always predict a bitter freeze. The blossoms turn brown within a day or so opening every year. But I look forward then to better weather after. Lynn
ReplyDeleteHi Lynn, thanks for dropping by. It's getting a little colder here. Have to keep the customers need to buy and treat plants at bay as we often get a freezing snow spell late March / early April.
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