It's cold and there's a north wind. Just checked the thermometer outside the kitchen door and it read 3C! In general March treats us better. However, having seen the arctic scenes in Normandie and the Pas-de-Calais on the TF1 news last night we aren't complaining!
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Sweet violet |
We didn't get any snow, bar the odd flurry, but it did drop down to -5C last night. When I put more bird food out this morning the feathery thug-lets more or less swooped on it while I was still standing there. The daffodils and cowslips were all drooping this morning as a result of the frost. Now, by the afternoon, they have recovered somewhat, but the yellow crocuses near the bird feeders have given up the ghost. They were past their very best and I suppose the frost delivered the killer blow.
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Japanese quince |
Some things are a bit more pig-headed and have decided to go ahead; very much in the spirit of "we darned well will flower"!! The tiny sweet violets [viola odorata] which pop up every year on the south side of the house have appeared, though there's too much wind right now to catch their delicate perfume. The Japanese quince [Chaenomeles, no idea which one] is beginning to flower too.
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Flowering Japanese quince against a [cold!] blue sky |
We've got the blue skies and the sunshine. Now all we need is some milder temperatures!
16 comments:
I noticed the violets were flowering at the orchard today too. They are really hugging the ground though, hidden in the grass.
@Susan - yep they're still cowering a bit and who can blame them!
We've got sunshine and blue skies -- and does feel quite acceptable out standing in the sun and out of the wind... Could Spring possibly be rearing its longed for head?
@Broad - let's hope so!
At least you know that you're going to get a warm spring any day now. I don't think the same can be expected up here!
Your garden is doing better than ours in the UK. Will the early flowers on the Japanese quince suffer with the frost?
@Craig - true. Unless we get another chilly rainy summer.
@Gaynor - not sure. They seemed to have weathered last night's -5C frost ok.
My poor friend left 30C in Costa Rica to return to London yesterday....spring is a dirty word to her at the moment.
@Fly - LOL! I can well imagine!
Our lawn is covered in wild violets but it was so icy today I don't know in what state they were. I do know that the crocuses stayed tightly closed! Take care you two Diane
@Diane - snow flurries overnight as there was a dusting on the roof this morning. Our violets are huddled down close to the ground..
Looking on the bright side - it can only get better. Can't it ??!!
@Jean - that's what we keep telling ourselves while sat in front of the woodburner! :-)
At least you have sun and flowers even if your temperatures are as fridge-like as ours. Love your photos with that background of beautiful blue skies. :-) We had snow again today.....
@Perpetua - driech today and everything has gone soggy again. There's never -yet- been enough time for things to dry out properly.
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