HAPPY EASTER!
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Tag: spring (page 5 of 14)
Well, March came and went and we were again caught up in a whirlwind. I can’t believe that April is here already and I never got to visit with you last month. I’m hoping that will change soon, because I miss coming here. 💛
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I’ve not been coming to this haven as often lately, because as life can sometimes be, ours has been a whirlwind at the moment.
So, here’s to hoping that as we move into this new season, our whirlwind dies down to just a little breeze.
{I shared the above image on Instagram this morning, they are the first blossoms of spring that I’ve gotten to see and they made me very happy!}
The lilacs are starting to bloom and I’m seeing the world through purple coloured glasses.
We’re in the midst of a mini heatwave in our neck of the woods. The sun is shining, even brighter I think, since all the weekend grocery shopping is done.
There is homemade butterscotch pudding cooling down in the fridge, nestled next to a fresh batch of whipped cream to be dolloped on top of it for dessert. There is chicken soaking in buttermilk to be oven fried for dinner later and served alongside a big salad with homemade ranch dressing and hot rolls smothered in cinnamon honey butter.
There are fresh sheets on the bed, the curtains are blowing in the breeze that is trickling over the windowsill, beach music is playing and the one day we have been waiting for since Monday has finally arrived!
Hello Friday! You look beautiful! Here’s to the weekend, long may it last!
Mother Nature seems to be playing a game of hide-and-seek with us lately. She keeps giving us glimpses of spring and then just as quickly takes them away again.
We got one such glimpse last week and now we’re back to rain, rain, rain. I don’t mind it too much. It isn’t very fun to do my morning run in, because some of the puddles in our neck of the woods are more like lakes, but it is what it is. Rainy days call for copious amounts of tea and a good book. Both of which are in ready supply in our cottage.
And spring is still there if you look close enough. Daffodils are blooming all along the hills that roll down toward the train tracks and there are wild primroses springing up along the footpaths. So amongst all the raindrops are beautiful pops of colour. It’s like getting a hint of the joyful flavours to come. Not too much, just a little taste.
I live on an island that doesn’t always get a lot of sun. When the sun does come out however, it seems to make people go slightly crazy. No one pays attention to what they’re doing. I think they’re too enraptured by the sun and all the possibilities that it holds.
It was cold when I went for my run yesterday, but gorgeously sunny. And since the sun seems to create almost a manic fever in British people, I was almost hit by three cars, who weren’t paying attention! Later in the afternoon on my way to the grocery store, I had a fourth car almost hit me. He had his windows rolled down, singing along to a tune and he just decided that he would pull up on the sidewalk and stop, because that would be a good place to park. I quickly jumped out of the way! So, I’m going to chalk it all up to the sunshine yesterday and not them being horrendous drivers.
It was cold again this morning, but the sun rose while I was out and it was glorious. I made my way over to the train track footbridge and the cherry trees that sit on the hill have all started to bloom. The sunshine filtered through their delicate creamy white petals and gave the centres an almost rosey orange glow.
The breeze was swaying the branches, the clouds were playing peek-a-boo with the sun and for a moment, everything was perfectly quiet. No trains going by, no car sounds, no people. Just the robins singing, the sunshine, the cherry blossoms and me. It was heaven.
From Friday night until we went to bed late on Sunday, we were pretty much constantly being sprinkled with snow flakes. It would come down heavy for awhile, stick and a few hours later dissipate from the sidewalks and road and then start all over again.
After Saturday night everything had iced over and then it snowed on top of the ice, so it was hard to tell where you could walk and where you would start ice skating, when we headed out for a run on Sunday. After ice skating for a bit down the road, we decided to head to the coffee shop to warm up with hot chocolates. I made fast friends with a little furry girl, whose coat was so tight and curly, it was like running your fingers through an ebony shag rug. Her name was Roxy and I got lots of kisses.
It was 15°F when we got up yesterday morning and the ice was still pretty thick in places, so there was no run for me. I hate not being able to get out there, but it is better to take a day off, then six weeks off, because I’ve ended up in a cast with a broken limb.
I headed out early this morning and the air was so cold and clean. The ice had mainly melted, but you could still see it here and there in places. However, I did skate over the train tracks footbridge, as it had remained a solid sheet of ice. Snow still speckled the earth. Thicker in some places than in others.
I love how the snow changes the landscape. Things become more pronounced or softly hidden under a blanket of white. As I made my way to the woods this morning, I only passed one other person, it was so quiet. The birds were singing and I watched a magpie couple slowly build a nest. He flew back and forth carrying small sticks in his beak while she flittered about and helped.
Now, I’m home, defrosting with a cup of tea. The sky is pearly grey. I’ve got buttermilk rolls rising on the counter for dinner tonight and I had just enough buttermilk left over to make another loaf of my Nana’s Irish Soda Bread. Happiness is…
“A Prayer in Spring”
By Robert Frost
Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers to-day;
And give us not to think so far away
As the uncertain harvest; keep us here
All simply in the springing of the year.
Oh, give us pleasure in the orchard white,
Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night;
And make us happy in the happy bees,
The swarm dilating round the perfect trees.
And make us happy in the darting bird
That suddenly above the bees is heard,
The meteor that thrusts in with needle bill,
And off a blossom in mid air stands still.
For this is love and nothing else is love,
The which it is reserved for God above
To sanctify to what far ends He will,
But which it only needs that we fulfill.