As the Days Lengthen

We are nearly at the end of January, and 1st February is the date that Miss Read tells us is the first time of the year that you can go for a walk after tea. Tea in this instance is 'four o'clock afternoon tea', not tea meaning dinner or supper. So as we are now out of the darkest 10 weeks of the winter, it is time to supersede the Shortest Day post and look forward to spring.

My snowdrops are not quite out yet, so here's a photo from February a few years ago - I'm sure they will be flowering before this post gets replaced! 

First Day of Spring?

Not a great deal to say - recovering from a rather spectacular fall on my face, which thankfully managed not to break my nose, or a tooth, or a wrist! but made a mess of my face for a while, though it has healed well. 

Was attracted to a new blanket, in hexagons, and have made a good start as can be seen above. There will be 8 of this design, and 8 or 9 each of several others, but so far I've nearly finished all of this type.

Trying to arrange the usual seasonal visits to Somerset and Sussex, but neither of us have been well enough for long enough to be confident about actually booking anything yet. The weather hasn't been great either, despite 'them' telling is it was the driest February in a long time. By contrast March has been quite wet.

Spring in a Time of War

 

The garden is showing signs of Spring, and the days are lengthening. But there is news of war to counteract the spring feelings.

Pulmonaria and daffodils seemed to be the most appropriate flowers for the heading, but the hellebores are doing well, both the white...

...and the red, 

while the violets are putting on a brave show 

- and the tulips are all that are left of the last delivery from Bloom & Wild. 

Let us hope that the world situation doesn't get worse as the weather gets better.

More than halfway through January

Finally we are getting slightly lighter afternoons and mornings, especially at the moment with the full 'wolf' moon, which is making the thought of spring a bit more believable. Still very cold and frosty, though we haven't (?yet) had the snow of this date a few years ago.

We are also more than halfway through the Christmas cake, which I show here in all its original glory. I've used this recipe for several years now, and it always comes out well - a really heavy fruit cake, that takes weekly 'feeds' of brandy in the 6 weeks or so between making and Christmas.

Signs of Spring

Waiting for news of 'the way out of Lockdown' - much of which seems to have already been briefed so as always will be an anticlimax.

In the meantime the blanket is finished, and the snowdrops are out.

February's delivery of flowers from Bloom & Wild was particularly good, and also included 3 tulips (not pictured) still attached to their bulbs, so lasting beautifully and will go into the garden when they have died back. 

The apple and pear trees (only one of each) need pruning, so I must garner the energy to do that soon, before the sap really starts rising. 

...oh, and we've both had the first dose of Pfizer now, and the dates for our 2nd appointments

New Year, Same Old Lockdown

 

Not a lot has happened to blog about, but the sprinkling of snow we woke up to today has at least given me a new picture to post. It's good to be more than halfway through January, and seeing a few signs of spring. 

Mr Bufo has had his first Covid-19 injection, though I'm still waiting for mine, and I've done a bit more to the 'Fruit Garden' blanket - more than this, in fact, but I haven't taken any photos of progress since 10 Jan...!

There will be 8 of the oblongs so 2 on each side, 4 of the dianthus squares as shown, and 4 chrysanthemums, which I'm in the process of doing, at the corners.

Spring confined

And so we enter a strange time of beautiful weather but unable to go anywhere. We are lucky to have a garden and local shops who will deliver, so although Mr Bufo is in his mid-80s, and I am just into my 70s, we have been able to stay fairly isolated, with a couple of ventures to the over 70s slots - which were more crowded than normal shopping times, so reluctant to do that again.










We both had terrible coughs last autumn and many of the symptoms described as the current virus, so are wondering if it has been around longer than was realised, and that is what we had. It was pretty nasty, and I hope we did have it, as we certainly don't want that again, or anything worse.




Our planned breaks and holidays are of course on hold at the moment, postponed until the situation resolves itself - in the case of our French barge holiday, until May of 2021. 



So we potter about the garden, and I am keeping up with the latest Crochet-Along. Have done 36 squares (not shown) and at the time of this photo, 80 triangles, here joined in 4 large and 8 small sections 









- but as you see from the photo to the right, another 36 triangles done there, and since then 20 more, so just 52 more before another joining session, and then 9 octagons. All in all 233 individual pieces, joined with crochet, and a border to go round the whole...the last part will be released in July - and I hope by then we will all be released too!

And now it's February

Not sure where January went, but I'm glad it's over, and there are snowdrops out in the garden. 

On Saturday 1st some friends came over for tea, and whilst we didn't do a 'Miss Read' and go for a walk afterwards, it was sunny and light enough to have done so. One of the friends came with a large handful of daffodil buds - enough to split between 2 vases, so I can enjoy them in the kitchen and the garden room. 

They arrived looking like this... 

 

...and 2 days later they look like this!

 

Signs of spring indeed!

Snow or Snowdrops?

The snowdrops are nearly out ... but we are threatened with the real thing tomorrow. Except we shall be on our way between here and the flat in Poole, via Yapp Brothers Wine Merchants in Mere, and the Udder Farm Shop, where we are booked for lunch. So we'll need to eat fairly quickly and get on our way, before the weather closes in at about 1.30!

The Scarf I started knitting before Christmas, with yarn bought last August, is nearly finished, and ready for handing over to its future owner in March when I see her.

To Cheer Myself Up

Trying to compensate for yet another plan going 'a-gley' - and so as not to look at the grey weather outside the window, I'm cheering myself up with some of the photos I took in Poole Park last week when the weather was rather more springlike.

Anemone blanda cheering up the side of the footpath, together with some forget-me-nots further along.

Amelanchier

Bluebells

Pen swan nest-building ...

...while the cob is on guard.

Pink Hawthorn (crataegus)

And I popped back the next day to
see that the pen was already sitting
... no sign of the cob, though!

There, now - that seems a bit more like spring!

Candlemas and Signs of Spring

I don't know whether the weather today has been bad enough to count as winter gone, or bright enough for it to take another flight,* as there have been sunny and cloudy spells here. But a couple of days ago it was pleasant enough to take a few photos of bits of the garden, which was cheering, as there are snowdrops nearly out ...

Primroses ...

Hellebores ...

Lungwort ...
















...and my camellia is in bud for the first time in ages! 

* If Candlemas Day be sun and bright
Winter will have another flight
If Candlemas Day be cloud and rain
Winter will not come again.