Monday, October 7, 2013

The incredible lightness of spring

 At last I'm heading out west. And on the way I enjoy the many signs of spring: blossoms frothing out of the trees at the organic growers' place,
 the spray of new foliage in their orchard,
 and coming up the driveway to the bach, these little blue flowers are jauntily dancing.
 Hello bach, I've missed you so much! Everything is green and lush here.
This glass decal used to belong to my mother, and I think of her whenever I look at it. The deep blue is the actual colour of the little flowers that line the driveway (the photo has bleached them out). My mother loved blue, and so do I.
 Native trees are flowering everywhere. This ngaio has little oil glands in the leaves, and Maori crushed them to use as an insect repellent.
 The hillsides are covered with kowhai, now finishing their flowering. A shining cuckoo sings from high in the treetops, and on the telephone wire a kingfisher sits, watching the waters of the stream.
Back home, I find this Chinese lantern tree flowering profusely in my friend's garden. The tree fell over in the recent storm, but she staked it up again and it looks pretty happy.

The weekend was gentle, warm, with little wind. Spring is showing its happy face at last, bringing lightness and wonder. Aah! (big sigh of contentment and relief)

10 comments:

Anne Ruffell said...

How wonderful to see the blossom, a true indicator that spring really has arrived. Over here we are seeing the trees begin to turn golden and the poplars outside my bedroom window are a mixture of lime green and yellow, all shivering in the breeze and glowing like gems in a ray of sunshine against a deep blue sky. We have been so lucky with the weather this summer and are still having sunny days.

Vicki Lane said...

As always, I relish watching Spring come to your side f the world even as Autumn moves into ours. And I love seeing flowers unknown to me.

Anne Ruffell said...

When the blossom appears you know that spring is really on its way. We are heading into autumn and the poplars I can see from my windows are glowing lime green and yellow against a dark blue sky with a shaft of sunshine illuminating just them. So beautiful.

Juliet said...

*Vicki, glad you enjoy seeing our spring. Likewise, I'm enjoying your autumn photos. Thank you.

*Anne, the view from your windows sounds beautiful. Nice to see you here. Thank you.

Friko said...

Looks like you are one happy bunny!

Who wouldn’t be, seeing what you’ve been given to be happy about.

Lynley said...

The colours in your last two posts have been most welcome here Juliet as so many days here are gloomy.

Today the stormy winds are slicing off the Viburnum pom poms which is so sad as they are very special in October.

I hope spring still dances and froths for you!

Juliet said...

* Friko, it's a happy time of year, that's for sure.

* Lynley, the winds are certainly fierce today, but here the weather is still very right. I'm glad you've enjoyed the colour in my last two posts.

Thank you, Friko and Lynley

Hotly Spiced said...

Enjoy your time out west. I too love the signs of Spring. We went to the country for the long weekend and stayed in the farmhouse we stayed in a few months ago. Back then all the trees were so bare and there were no blossoms. A few weeks later and the lavender is in full bloom, the grape vine is out in force, the trees were covered in blossoms and everything was looking so green. Spring really does bring joy to the world.

Penny O'Neill said...

How refreshing to see all the elements of spring greeting you, Juliet. I love the glass decal, a nice remembrance of your mother, and so perfectly placed in that window.

Enjoy spring!

Juliet said...

* Charlie, what a delight to return to the farmhouse and see all these signs of spring.

* Penny, refreshing is just the right word. I'm so lucky to have the decal; such a beautiful remembrance.

Thank you Charlie and Penny, good to see you.