Marching on
This morning was serious brass monkey territory but since the sun has risen it has been glorious…
if a tad icy in the wind. Welcome March and the lengthening of days. Welcome primroses on the lane, welcome the tiniest pink dots of early blossom buds and here’s to you the humble daffodil brightening my eyes.
“It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.”
Beautiful things arrive in the post! A much anticipated book “The Flower Fettler’s Year” by Sarah Statham, it doesn’t disappoint, a delight from the perfect green cover, floral endpapers, heavenly photographs and most importantly, lovely lovely writing.
There is another delivery, this one is from Milli Proust. I have been hoarding empty toilet rolls for weeks in anticipation of this! I don’t have a greenhouse (watch this space) so I can’t over winter sweet peas. I shall plant my sweet pea seeds into said toilet rolls, they’re perfect for developing long root systems. I am also a real fan of using egg boxes for germinating seeds, thanks to my dear friend Selina Lake who put me onto it. I’m looking forward to watching these germinate in yellow cardboard capsules.
We are planting trees. Cherry trees to be precise, there was an avenue of them flanking the drive until this winter. When we first looked at this house some ten years ago, I dreamed of them incessantly before we moved in. They were old then, three decades at least I should think. They flowered cheerfully early, I would look forward to their return each spring, like a much missed absent friend, and so it was that I found myself profoundly sad when they were condemned. Cherry trees are not long lived and ours had developed canker. Dear old things, they were in serious decline. We have planted Prunus Shirotae, “Mount Fuji,” elsewhere in the garden as we can’t risk spreading the infection. I will keep you posted on progress.
Here are my old friends before their demise…
Had a Leonard Cohen Hallelujah moment in the kitchen! Darling husband cut three inches off my ridiculously long lockdown locks. It was liberating and the dressmaking scissors held up fairly well too. I am visualising my hairdresser eye rolling at this revelation, but there we are I always was a low maintenance kinda gal. I sit on the stool admiring the lampshade out here, I love studying fabric, haircuts should be accompanied by floral lampshades more often.
Spent Sunday afternoon walking around the garden, picking one of everything that is in flower. With the exception of the snowdrops, I just can’t bear to cut them. I need to take a leaf out of Sarah Statham’s book and dig up the bulb so that I can re-plant it. It was a surprisingly decent harvest, particularly as the day began with such a hard frost.
Claude it’s cold though! That’s March for you, in like a lion and out like a lamb…
There are green shoots appearing on the trees though and the days are longer, I am thankful for that. The day ends as it began, with a perfect pink sky.
“The trees are coming into leaf
Like something almost being said;
The recent buds relax and spread,
Their greenness is a kind of grief.”
