On another bright, cold, morning I nipped upstairs to photograph from above
Florence continuing her general clearing of the garden beds.
After lunch I focussed on a few flowers, including Amanogawa cherry; varieties of cyclamen, of daffodils, of camellias, of tulips; smiling pansies; a sunlit hellebore; a hanging fritillary; and a sweetly scented Daphne Odorata Marginata.
A number of seemingly drowsy bumble bees seem to need a rest on leaves between blooms.
Ian had returned home last night because he had work to do today, so he was unable to join us for this evening’s dinner which consisted of Jackie’s wholesome cottage pie; crunchy carrots and cauliflower; tender cabbage, and meaty gravy, with which The Culinary Queen drank Hoegaarden, Becky drank Mavrodaphni of Patra Kourtaki, and I drank Bold Vine Zinfandel 2019.
So many beautiful blooms today, Derrick! It’s so nice that you have help with spring cleaning!
It is. Thanks very much, John
I love all the lovely spring blooms! Flo must be a great help with the garden clean-up.
She certainly is Liz. She has always loved gardening, and grew up with just a balcony which she made the best of. Thanks very much
You’re welcome, Derrick.
Spring has truly sprung
Thanks a lot, Sheree
Such a beautiful blossom header image!
It is odd that the bumble bees sometimes seem so sleepy at this time of the year – I can understand it in the late summer / autumn (when they also seem to enjoy the fermenting apples, which must add to their general soporific nature), but why sleepy in spring too?!
My thought is that it is still too cold for them, Emma. Thanks very much
With Flo’s help, the garden will be cleaned up and ready for spring in no time!
Thanks very much, Janet
Such beautiful flowers and greenery. I love those delicate cherry blossoms.
Thank you very much, Merril
A wonderful gallery of the early blooms, Derrick. Flo looks completely at home in your garden.
She certainly is. Thanks very much, Maj
You’ve got an amazing display of f lowers there, Derrick, especially those mauve fritillaries. Glad to see the bees are up and about.
Thanks very much, John
Beautiful flowers.
Thanks a lot, Mrs W
Your welcome.
The flowers are so lovely that the images are going to stay with me for the rest of the day. Thank you!
That is so pleasing and much appreciated, Luanne
The camellias are very lovely.
Thanks very much, Tootlepedal
Oh, the garden is abloom with so many lovely flowers. How I wish I could grow cyclamens in my gardens. Too cold for them here, although with the way things are going, who knows? Must be great to have Flo’s help.
Flo is definitely a godsend, especially as Martin has been unable to come because of positive testing. He is OK, though, and finishes isolation today. Thanks very much, Laurie
Glad to hear Martin is on the mend and will be returning soon. In the meantime, yay for Flo!
I love that Florence began work early in the day and still in her pyjamas, we do that too!
Those floral images are really lovely and a pleasure to view.
Thanks a lot, Sue. I just have a dressing gown on
Such a beautiful display of blossoms. It sounds like you had a fantastic dinner too!
Thanks very much, Holly
You’re welcome !
I laughed to see Flo in what I thought were pajamas, but Sue’s comment suggests they were exactly that. What fun to have it warm enough to be able to wander like that. The flowers are just gorgeous. There’s a camillia shrub I thought was gone after our freeze, but when I passed it yesterday I saw leaves on the bottom third. It has a way to go to equal yours, but maybe there will be a bloom or two.
Thanks very much. Good luck with the camellia, Linda.
Gorgeous, Derrick! I do love the cherry blossoms.🌸 Thanks for sharing.
Much appreciated, Jill
Beautiful flowers and bees. The pansies are delightful! Happy Spring!
Thank you very much, JoAnna
That’s warmed the heart. Beautiful. You are definitely a few weeks ahead of us.
Thanks a lot, Gary
So nice to see these spring flowers, Derrick. The only thing we have going right now are a few crocuses 🙂
Thank you very much, Barbara
Gorgeous flowers, soon all will be in bloom.
Thanks very much, Bridget. The annual regeneration is so salutary
Lovely flowers. Looks like Spring is back… Fingers crossed.
Yes, indeed, Brian. Thanks a lot
Such great blossoms
☀️☀️☀️
Thanks very much, Yvette
Beautiful blossoms! It seems Flo is getting pretty attached to that robe. It must be nice and cozy. 🤗
Yes. It is still very chilly here. Thanks very much, AnneMarie
Your flowers are so pretty! I love all of them, especially the camellias and pansies, and of course the daffodils. Thank you for sharing.
Much appreciated, Nicki
I enjoy seeing the pretty flowers in your garden while I wait for our indigenous autumn blooms to come forth.
That is pleasing, Anne. Thank you very much
Florence is persisting in her enterprise with a zeal and is an exceptional subject for portraits. Photos of the fresh flowers are brilliant.
Thank you so much, Uma
I love all of the pretty blooms, especially the pansies. Just beautiful.
Thank you so much, Chrissy
Wow! What a bounty of Springtime flowers! They appeared one by one when I viewed your post, so a slow opening response to the plethora of blossoms turned out to be a “look at me first, enjoy me, then you can see the next one” show. I enjoy how you end your posts with an account of the meal and drinks enjoyed.
Thank you so much, Doug. I’m sorry it was such a slow process, although you appreciated it.
No problem, Derrick. It enhanced the view in an oddly satisfying way. Slow loading of a post usually is tiresome, but this was like a little flower show, pausing at each flower so one could enjoy it in its singularity!
🙂
I was glad to read in your comments that Martin is OK and finishes isolation today. That was good news. Your photos of the flowers today are spectacular, Derrick. As you know, things are rather bleak here in SW Montana right now, so I relish the opportunity to vicariously enjoy your springtime garden. Thank you so much for sharing. <3
Much appreciated, Jan X
The selection of flowers was very pleasing, and comforting to see in these times of dark international news. I especially love the cyclamens. Flo has a beautiful smile to go with all those colorful blooms!
Beautiful blooms, Derrick! We must be on a similar latitude. Our trees and flowers are on the same schedule!
Beautiful flowers and how nice it is to have Flo to help with the garden. Spring is springing!
Such pretty colours in your garden. We still have lot of snow.
Everything looks gorgeous. I love the variegated daphne.
Thank you very much, Susan
We will not see flowers for at least two months, perhaps longer. However, I bought amaryllis for Christmas and watched the miracle. Be good to yourself.
You have a hard-working granddaughter, Derrick.
We do, Dolly. Thank you very much
My pleasure, Derrick.
I love the pictures of Flo–such a pleasure to get your hands in the dirt and be in a garden. I also envy your cyclamen outside, coming back year after year like those charming primulas growing in your ditches…
Thank you very much, Lisa
Gorgeous blooms! What a beautiful day and a delicious dinner 😋
Thank you very much, Ribbana
What beautiful flowers! Spring is clearly on the way. I like the cherry branch in the beginning. It looks wonderful.
Thank you very much, Geetha