Signs of spring

Tears

I recently filled in one of those email questionaires that do the rounds asking you to answer questions about yourself. One question was when did you last cry. My answer was that I couldn't remember.
I cried this morning on finishing reading a memorable book. I cannot remember ever being so moved by a book before. Try to read it if you can.

It is The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.


http://www.booksattransworld.co.uk/thebookthief/

Snow

Snowdrops in my garden braving the cold weather.

The snow we had this week reminded of a poem I wrote a couple of years ago when it snowed on 1st March. The snow came a bit earlier this year but thought I would publish my poem here as the sentiment is still the same

March

I woke up this morning
With hopes of spring
The kind of day
I'd hoped March would bring.

Alas hopes were shattered
The landscape's all white
Cruel winter weather
Has hit over night.

But sitting here gazing
On the magical scene
The garden's so pretty
Dressed in white and not green.

The flakes gently floating
and coating the trees
That look so majestic
Enhancing the scene.

Perhaps disappointment
At delaying of spring
Is not quite so bad
With this beauty it brings.

Brown paper packages tied up with string.....

....these are a few of my favourite things.

Taking a leaf out of Jennifer's book


My 100 Favourite things (unfortunately I can only think of 91 at present)

1. My family
2. Cats
3. Cheese
4. Sunny days in May
5. Books
6. Babies
7. Freshly laundered bed linen
8. Butterflies
9. Dr Zhivago (film)
10. Music by Tchaikovsky
11. Swans
12. Wild flower meadows.
13. Scent of freesias
14. My 1000s of photos
15. My digital camera
16. Garlic bread
17. Being a mum
18. Brown eyes
19. My computer
20. Bug Café
21. Breast feeding
22. Babies bare feet
23. Soft fabrics
24. Simply Red
25. Buzzing of insects on a summer day
26. Aroma of freshly baked bread
27. and coffee
28. Marcasite jewellery
29. Sandals
30. Chocolate
31. Roast beef dinners
32. Robins
33. Elephants
34. Tigers
35. Jugs
36. Lara’s Theme (from Dr Zhivago)
37. Memories of my grandparents.
38. Hazy sunshine in autumn
39. Walking through crunchy autumn leaves.
40. Freshly fallen snow
41. Cashmere knitwear
42. Reading in bed in the morning
43. Green of newly opening leaves in spring
44. Soaking in the bath
45. Researching my family history
46. Chardonnay
47. The colour lilac
48. Yellow roses
49. Bluebells
50. Woodland walks
51. My garden (except for the work it involves)
52. The Internet
53. Feather pillows
54. Strawberries
55. Poetry that rhymes
56. Lavender bags
57. Daffodils
58. Billy Fury
59. Grandma’s homemade pea soup. (wish I had the recipe)
60. Growing flowers from seeds
61. Coronation Street
62. Hedgerows
63. Salted peanuts
64. White Zinfandel
65. Baileys
66. Peaches
67. Cheese and banana sandwiches
68. Squirrels
69. Sunset on the ocean
70. Monet’s Water lilies
71. Real log fires
72. Chanel 19
73. Apple pie with custard
74. Egg custard tarts
75. Homemade treacle toffee
76. Whipped cream
77. Horlicks
78. Summer thunder storms
79. Rainbows
80. My Ercol dresser
81. Granddad’s brass WW1 cigarette box
82. Granddad’s copper kettle
83. Hedgehogs
84. Spider’s webs dripping with raindrops
85. Grandma’s tiny porcelain vases
86. Beetroot
87. Meercats
88. My GPS (except when it takes me the wrong way)
89. The smell of freshly mown grass
90. My VW Golf
91. Crispy bacon

Christmas tree

This is a little Christmas tree I bought several years ago when it was about 8 inches tall and had been reduced in price because it looked as though it was dying. Since then it has been sitting in a pot on my patio and has never looked prettier than it did yesterday morning in the snow.

Trimming the trees

Time to have the large branch on the left removed. The one covered with ivy.

Not a nice day for it as it was trying to snow.

This is the result. From the snow you can see they just finished in time.
I wouldn't have liked their job on a day like that.