Daffodil

The first Daffodil at the back garden is in flower now and has some spring sunshine illuminating its petals and face. The rain has been falling quite often this week and today started off wet.
I had planned to go to the allotment this morning but the damp weather stopped me. It has cleared up now so i may get up there this afternoon.
Cat is relaxing having a Spa day with her Mum. I have walked around the garden, taken photos of some flowers, and watched a program about the Natural History Museum. When I was in London we never managed to get into see it. The Queue was two hours long!! I vowed to go back when it was first open in the winter to try and get in before the hordes of visitors descend.
They have a large selection of pressed plants and flowers, which they can always go back to if they think they have discovered a new species of flower or plant.
I know its warming up because I saw my first Bumble Bee on the grass the day we went to Doncaster. I have seen a small Butterfly as well flying into the Fir Trees.
Daffodils are such beautiful flowers dancing in the spring breeze. They make you smile.

Unofficial Wakefield in Bloom

The Walk back from the hospital down the long alley today with camera in hand. The morning was damp, after night time fog. I saw an unofficial in bloom Wakefield..

This pretty flower grows all along the hedge row.It is pretty, lace like and looks like snowflakes I think...

My home made wine making favourites, a dandelion with its petals held up to keep the night time cold off, waiting for the sun to warm it up...

This was the gorgeous purple flowered plant i walked past growing wild beneath some tree's.I dont know what it is but the purple cone like flowers contrast to the green leaves.

This is the purple flower, with the creeping green leaves. Love to know if anybody knows what it is.

Sunday Best

I usually buy plastic pots for growing seedlings on, and flowers. Yesterday I broke from my usual habit and bought three ceramic pots. Two traditional round ones, and a square shaped one. I wanted the planting of the Orchid bulbs to be auspicious. Traditionally the best clothes were worn on a Sunday, so my orchids are in their Sunday best...

There is a LOT of advice on the web about Orchids, their care, and needs. I read some then switched off and did my own thing.

Learning by your own actions works for me. I read about Bletilla Striata being a terrestial orchid (ie it lives in the ground not in the tree's). It is grown in south east Asia and China on alkaline, sandy soils, often with other plants that give it some protection from strong sunlight. It likes damp but not soggy soil.

I have tried to recreate that in the pots, and this morning the green tips look healthier, so i guess the watering yesterday has roused the bulbs from their winter dormancy.

The Amaryllis i grew before, started growing in the dark of the coal shed, with no soil or water surrounding it. That tells me the Bletilla's pointing growing tips were itching to get going, like runners at the start line of a long race.

I think the pots are gorgeous. There is a dark blue one, a light tan coloured one, and a grey/white one. My only other pot was from Nan's house, a living memorial of an easter cactus. It is a Wedgewood China pot, with an oriental design of a Kutani crane, tree's and flowers.

Its Sunday, the last day of my week off work.Alas, back tomorrow but i am fully charged now, and have many plants growing on.

The Nicotiana have germinated in the seed tray in the bedroom windowsill. They miraculously sprang up overnight. No sign of any Heuchera yet. I might buy some from the garden centre if they fail to germinate. I need to be patient though. Im bad at that. Willing everything to grow faster, but they dont. They each have their own time, and speed of growth.

Spring has truly sprung now, although it still feels cold to me. I am waiting on that Allotment still. Fingers, toes, and trowels crossed as Old Roses said to me.

It is the best feeling in the world to be blogging again. The process of writing, taking photos, and taking a gardeners view of the world fills me with the joys of spring. The cycle of the seasons is back in my blood. It connects us back to the earth, and our past. Our passion brings out the best in people, and plants.

As the birds return after the winter so I have return from an unexpected winter layoff. I will try to stay online and posting as often as work allows.

Returned....

I have finally got internet access. I checked my emails (oh my gosh there were hundreds!!) and logged into Blogger. Guess what I finally moved to the Beta blogger one.

I loved all the comments to the Au Revoir post.The problems I had were my flat number (thirteen) which meant BT (the telephones company) did not recognise my flat number.I had to wait weeks for an engeneer to visit to locate my phone line.

Next BT got the address wrong so the equipment went AWOL back to Leeds. After an hour on various phone lines I got them to send out the Hub.

It came this morning. Yippeeeeeeeee it is like xmas.Internet access is one of those things you dont realise you rely on it untill you have not got it.I had withdrawel. No emails, no blogging, no checking things out with google.

Its nearly Spring time now.I walk past crocuses like the ones in picture. In my move to Wakefield the phone connector cable and disc have gone missing.I will have to work out how to get my photo's onto Computer.

The downside is I have no garden now. I have a few plants I took with me from Castleford.It is a new start here. My fingers are itching to plant seeds and grow some plants for my window sills and to give away.

I will post a lot now to catch up with all of you. Hope your gardens and green spirit are starting to wake up with the approach of springtime. I have a spring in my step now!!