I've had a lovely holiday. Lots of family and friends came to visit. I've eaten more food than was sensibly necessary. I've done lots of chatting and hugging grandkids and now it's over. Yesterday morning I took a New Year stroll down the garden. The sky was a solid grey. The ground was muddy to the point of being squelchy. There was nothing particularly inspiring...
...until I reached the very end of the garden and looked up at the Mahonia bush with its display of bright yellow flowers. They may look mediocre in this photograph but they put a smile on my face.
Spring isn't far away!
Are there any flowers appearing in your garden yet?
It was a lovely holiday for me! Friends from Texas who flew over for DD's wedding and stayed for a few days. Last Christmas pudding to be eaten for lunch today. And yes, there are tiny green shoots peeping out from the earth. Spring is on its way.
ReplyDeleteGlad you had a good holiday and with a Christmas wedding it must have been extra special. Good to see that you're not practising too much self-restraint but Christmas pud for Sunday lunch! Is that wise?!
DeleteHi Ros .. the bulbs have been pushing out for a while now - I just hope everything doesn't get rotted away .. the leaves are out too. My mother loved Mahonia and I'd pick her some (prickles and all!) occasionally to have in her room ... roses are still around - strange weather, but who knows what the harbinger of spring will bring! So much can change in the next couple of months ...
ReplyDeleteHave a lovely early Spring for the time being ... cheers Hilary
You're right, Hilary, it could all change. I remember us having snow in June, but in the meantime let's enjoy the spring flowers while we can.
DeleteI'm a bit worried by how mild the weather is at the moment. A mild and bland winter usually means the same in the summer - I was really hoping for a warm summer this year!
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year!
The problem is we can never predict the weather, even though they try to do it daily at the meteorological office. I shall enjoy the mild spring while it lasts.
DeleteI shall hold that thought Ros! My winter jasmine is also in flower, which is the first time I have seen it. Lovely! Like Annalisa, though, I would feel a lot better if we had a good cold spell. I must say though that we had a very cold winter last year and the summer was still horrible, so I wonder if it really works that way. I have had a lovely break too with a constant stream of visits.
ReplyDeleteWonderful, Val. I love Jasmine.
DeleteNo flowers here yet, but I too am concerned at the mildness of our winter so far. When I took my dog out this morning I wondered about it . . .
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure exactly where you live, Sheila, but I suspect the weather's a bit different in the US. I live right in the middle of the UK and it's normally fairly temperate here. We tend to avoid those extremes of weather... (Hope I won't regret typing that!)
DeleteYou have flowers all winter? All we have is snow all winter. I'm not familiar with mahonia but I'm attracted to that pretty yellow flower that blooms in the winter.
ReplyDeleteWe're off and running for the New Year.
I've no idea - but I so hope there are snowdrops by January 12th - it was my mother;s birthday, and if the snowdrops were out then we knew it would be an early spring. I'm too far away to see them this year, but if anyone should notice a bud or two, please tell me!
ReplyDeleteI live in Florida so we always have flowers somewhere.
ReplyDeleteHugs and chocolate,
Shelly
No flowers here. I'm waiting for the snow that was promised on our local news. All I have to do to see flowers is head down the mountain, about 50 miles away. Except this year it has been cold at night down in the valley as well. Happy New Year, I'm glad you had a lovely holiday season.
ReplyDeleteNo sign here yet I think we will have snow first. My indoor bulbs are sprouting I think it's the snowdrops they are so tall that toddler is calling them the magic beans,I so hope there's no giant at the top.
ReplyDeleteI had a look yesterday too, about half way round I was thrilled to see three tips of crocus bulbs! It's official spring isn't far away :-)
ReplyDeletewe have some petrified mums that are still orange. And Ray's pepper plants still have red berries. In Texas I am happy to not have to mow the yard for at least a few weeks. Glad for the gray sky excuse to stay indoors - read, watch movies, and hibernate. Have a good January, Rosalind.
ReplyDeleteHahaha sadly I live in a town so windy that the only flowers I see are the orchids in my room. They do make me smile, though.
ReplyDeleteQuite a few flowers are still blooming here... pansies, some roses, even an encore azalea. And the daffodils are up a couple inches already. Makes me think about spring being right around the corner, but we've had snow flurries on Easter before. (Only once, but still...)
ReplyDeleteIt's wonderful when one little sign from nature gives you back your joy.
ReplyDeleteWe've got a couple of feet of snow and won't see any buds until late March or April... :) It'll be a while yet - so I'll enjoy your pic :)
ReplyDeleteOh, it feels like winter is just beginning here. But I'm always glad for the reminder that spring will come =)
ReplyDeleteNothing happening in my garden on the surface, although I imagine a lot is going on underground as I have a lot of bulbs planted.
ReplyDeleteThat Mahonia of yours is tall, I had one at my last house, but it was never much more than five foot tall, and it got me to thinking about my old home, wondering what the garden is like now. Ten years on, I imagine a lot may have changed. It was a new house, so we planted the garden from scratch. There were many hours of hard toll, but a great satisfaction too.
Your post generated happy memories for me Ros, 'the forgotton garden' I'd love to go back and see it again, out of curiosity.
Have a good week.
In the midst of the mud at the back of the pond there is a brave little polyanthus flowering - lovely purply pink petals edged with a yellow frill. The bulbs we planted in October are also pushing up through the ground. Happy days ahead!
ReplyDeleteIt's funny you should ask about spring Rosalind. I was watching my husband take in the Christmas lights a few days ago and I noticed the tips of our daffodils popping thru the soil. We haven't even had our first snow here in Virginia and we're seeing signs of spring! Who would have thunk it?!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad that you had a wonderful time with family and friends. Your Mahonia bush is a beauty!
ReplyDeleteJulie
Rosalind. Exciting news about King Richard.
ReplyDeleteHugs from Grandchildren - yay, can't have too many. In the garden we moved from last year we had Mahonia - it was lovely in early season. Now we are in Dorset and I have wallflowers in bloom - fully open but we are missing the scent as we are indoors so much. Snowdrops, camelias, a rose and a carnation. What is really worrying are the larkspur in bud!
Bren