Before Jackie discovered that, for the first time in 15 years, we can now view Test Matches live on free to air terrestrial television I listened to the first day of the England v India match on BBC sport. I watched the last couple of overs on Channel 4.
This morning I took advantage of a break between showers to wander round the garden with my camera.
The irises reticulata are all now in bloom, with tulips beside them pushing up.
Other irises and numerous hellebores still collect raindrops.
Camellias are quite prolific.
Honesty seed pods now have a skeletal presence and the metal plant Louisa gave us for Christmas will live on for a while.
Some winter flowering clematis cirrhosa Freckles have survived their recent heavy pruning.
Wherever we go we encounter a plethora of snowdrops.
This afternoon we paid a brief visit to Barry and Karen to deliver his prints.
Afterwards we took a brief drive along the lanes, like Coombe Lane largely waterlogged.
Sunlight streamed across the landscapes, lit the lichen coated hedges, and silhouetted the bones of an oak tree.
A small shaggy haired pony eyed me as I photographed its more delicate be-rugged cousin.
Jackie photographed a pair of rooks – or were they crows? – conducting a corvine conversation.
Several donkeys were installed on Wooden House Lane.
The stream running under Church Lane reflected the trees above.
This evening we dined on the varied flavours of Jackie’s piquant cauliflower cheese; creamy mashed potatoes; smoked haddock; with carrots and petits pois for splashes of bright colour. We both drank Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2020.
We’re cold and wet, which explains why I’m home with a cup of coffee and will be one of your first commenters! The flowers are absolutely lovely. I’m sure there must be more springing up here than I’m aware of, but I’m hoping to get out this weekend to take inventory.
I love the photo of the birds on the wire. Do you know the word for a group of crows having a conversation? A caw-cus!
Excellent, Linda 🙂 Thanks very much
I love the birds on a wire as well! Nicely punned comment!!
🙂
The mighty oak tree in black and white certainly dominates the photo. That pony is giving you a stinky eye, Derrick.
🙂 Thanks very much, Dolly
You are very welcome, Derrick.
Those donkeys are so cute, but you know they don’t compare to my ponies. (do I sound like a broken record?)
Not at all – Just a welcome long playing one 🙂 Thanks a lot, GP
😎
Sure looks like spring where you live! In Maine, it is snowing. 😉
Apparently snow is possible for us on Sunday 🙂 Thanks very much, Laurie
Can’t wait to see the pictures if it does snow!
🙂
Here in neighboring New Hampshire, we had a beautiful snowfall today, which I watched outside my study window when I was supposed to be working.
🙂
Snowfall is beautiful, isn’t it?
Great photos again today, particularly the close-up of the eye. The birds are rooks, which makes it a rook-us rather than a caw-cus (good joke though – it gave me the idea fo the next one.)
Bravo – both on the bird knowledege AND the humor.
🙂
😉 Thank you. To b fair, I merely stole a joke from someone else.
🙂
Neat, Quercus 🙂 Thanks very much
Rooooooooot!
Yes, indeed. Thanks a lot, Geoff
The post rain shots are refreshing! I’m glad you were able to get the games. And I still ket a kick out of the free ranging burros.
🙂 Thanks very much, Maj
Lovely to see Spring starting to bloom.
The skeletal seed pods from Autumn are very beautiful too.
But my eye is drawn to the bright eye of the pony, with the wisp of maine – I wonder what he is thinking.
Perhaps he’s approving the social distancing that the rooks, or crows, are observing…
or perhaps he’s looking forward to Summer, when the need for that may be over.
Thank you very much for your usual insightful comments, Emma
I adore the snowdrops Derrick…
Thanks very much, Ivor
Ever winter your garden gives me hope that spring is, indeed, just around the corner. Loved that donkey eye and Jackie’s photo of the birds, especially.
Thanks very much, Jodie
<3
I’m very envious of your bulbs, particularly the snowdrops – so spring-like.
Thanks very much, Sheree
The lighting is beautiful in those photos! The emerging greenery and flowers say spring is not far off.
Thank you very much, Lavinia
I am at one with Quercus on the matter of rooks vs crows. I love the colour that you have in your garden at this time of year but looked in vain for a primrose.
Doh! Thanks very much, Tootlepedal – My alliteration ran away with me. Title now corrected
You have colour down there, Derrick? A southerner in exile, I’d forgotten. In the frozen north, it’s still brown and muddy one day, white and solid the next.
Sorry it is gloomy up there. I think we are all going to be cold this weekend. Thanks a lot, Mike
I particuarly like the landscape with the gray trees against the green foreground.
That was almost an afterthought, Liz. Thank you very much.
You’re welcome, Derrick.
I can’t believe how many of your flowers are emerging. I love cauliflower and I love cheese, but I’m not familiar with cauliflower cheese…sounds yummy!
Delightful snowdrops! I love the subtle green and pink in the hellebore close up. And close ups of horses eyes are always interesting. The wintery grey row of trees in the landscape with bit of green below had a soft, pleasing quality.
Thank you very much for these perceptive comments, JoAnna.
Spring is coming, slowly here…
Good. Thanks very much, Gary
The garden keeps presenting endless opportunities to capture its denizens in various stages of bloom or decline, and you are the truest keeper of those moods. Outside, the larger garden maintained by Nature but encroached upon by us, provide wider choices of clicking those shutters. Does the pair of rooks recognise you and Jackie? I guess, yes, the way they got excited at the prospect of making it to today’s edition of the chronicles.
Many thanks for these fun comments, Uma.
Can’t count how many times I’ve stopped at the photo of a flower I love and find it to be a hellebore. So many different varieties and all gorgeous, but I’ve never seen one in person! Your photo is lovely.
Thank you very much, Judy.
I enjoy the close-up of the eye and have built up a reasonable collection of eyes of zebra, elephants and herons over the years. My favourite photograph is the stream running under Church Lane – beautiful reflections there.
Thank you very much, Anne
Oh, my goodness! It looks like spring is starting to make an entrance to your garden. Beautiful photos.
Thanks very much, Nicki
Oh! All of the life and colour bursting forth! Makes me feel Spring-y, even tho’ it’s cold here as I am enjoying your photos!!! 🙂
Your photo of that beautiful, soulful eye of that pony is amazing! <3
Love Jackie's bird conversation photo! And it reminds me of a crow joke…
A group of crows planned a meeting and only two of them showed up.
They were charged for attempted Murder. 😉 😀
Your trees, reflections and donkey photos are some of my favs!!! 🙂
(((HUGS))) 🙂
Thanks very much, Carolyn. Another good crow joke
(Rooks because they have white beaks.) It was lovely to come across the cricket accidentally. I do wish they had a camera high up, though, so that we could see life beyond the stadium.
Thanks very much, John
What a great selection of photographs. The snow drops served as a reminder that I intended to take photos of ours for the greenery. Completely forgot – oh dear my mind of late!
Thanks very much, Sue. I’m sure the fog will clear
I hope so!
There are certainly signs of life in the garden Derrick which is always very welcome. Almost before we know it we will be back to garden chores!
Yes, indeed, Andrew. Thanks very much
I miss those short winters and early spring flowers❣️We are in a winter wonderland for 2 more months…. at least the sun comes out a lot 😎
🙂 Thanks very much, Val
Beautiful photos. I can’t pick a favorite–though the crow/rooks stand out because of all the crows I saw this morning during my walk and then poems I read written by others.
For a second, I misread drive as dive: “we took a brief drive along the lanes, like Coombe Lane largely waterlogged,” and I’m glad that wasn’t the case. 😀
Nice one, Merril. 🙂 Thanks very much
You’re welcome. 😀
Errmmm… shouldn’t that be a stream of snowdrops / a swarm of snowdrops, and a plethora of primroses, Derrick? Asking for a friend.
I am meaning lots of snowdrops. I ran away with alliteration in my title with A Plethora of Primroses when it should have been Snowdrops. Doh!. 🙂 Thanks very much, Cynthia
What a bouquet of colour-filled words. 🙂
Thanks very much, Widders
Wow! Seems like everything is coming back to life! I guess spring is nearby 🌸
Those donkeys are so cute 🥰
Yes. Spring seems on its way. Thanks very much
Ah-hah! I see why you changed your title. Your flower photos are wonderful. Yes, spring WILL come one of these months…. probably sooner for you than for me in NW Montana.
Lovely photos Derrick. It’s so wonderful to see the blooming things!
🙂 Nice one, Julie. Thanks a lot
The images are stunning. You are a poet. 🙂
I was really perplexed by the metal plant until I came to the line below. Was it a hydrangea, emulating a bluebell? Lovely to see all your snowdrops.
Thanks very much, Susan 🙂
That is a gorgeous little thatched cottage behind the donkeys. So very cute. And a lovely testament to Pauline’s craft.
Thank you very much, Amanda