May's Flower

Tucked in the back corner of the garden, 

behind the magnolia tree,
  in the shadows, 

grows May's birth month flower,
a favourite of mine.

Lily of the Valley.

Waiting to be tucked into a tiny vase, here are some blooms resting on the charming, decades-old book that Daphne from Ivy, Phyllis and Me sent me last year.

When I was a young girl, I remember that some women would wear Lily of the Valley fragrance. 

 That may well be passé by now, but the scent is still heady and intoxicating.

Finding a home with a sprig of lilac, the air is perfumed by my cosy reading chair.

Enough sitting here for now, the house is calling to me to get things in order. With a big temperature drop since yesterday, the gardening will be put on hold for today in favour of addressing the indoor jobs: cleaning, sorting, pitching, maybe even ordering a desk. I miss having one!

Enjoy your weekend! 

Thank you for dropping by and for the comments you leave. I'm behind in responding, but will do so over the next couple of days. I'll sit by the sweet-smelling flowers and inhale my favourite scents of spring.


For the first time, I'm pleased to be linking with "A Favourite Thing" at Mockingbird Hill Cottage.

Forget-Me-Not

Almost hidden in the grass, 

and soon to be moved to a garden bed, 

are some tiny, blue flowers.

"Forget-Me-Not," they say.

I won't.

Victoria Day Weekend: Weed, Mulch, Sniff, Repeat

It's a fragrant time in my garden, with the lilacs in all their glory.

There has been a fair bit of garden tidying going on here over the past couple of days, with much left to do on this beautiful Victoria Day long weekend.

There may still be weeds to deal with, but there are also a few magnolia blooms left as that tree's leaves open.

A  bit of a dent has been made in the 3 cubic yards of sweet-smelling cedar mulch.

I'm going with the red-plastic-bucket-as-a-scoop technique for filling the wheelbarrow; not the traditional approach, but it seems to work for me!

Some tulips are finished, and some remain.

Back to the lilacs; they call to me.

My weekend? 

Weed, mulch, sniff, repeat. 

Do you have plans?

Ranunculus

You know you haven't posted for awhile when you have a backlog of photos.

 Some have made it onto Facebook, but some have languished in laptop files. 

 Ignoring a ranunculus is no way to treat such a beautiful flower.

Layers of petaled ruffles rival those of an old-fashioned, springtime gown. 

There have been no balls to attend here. 

I do, however, have a clearer understanding of my country's tax system, the art and science of switching from oil to gas heating, the wonders that can be achieved with a can of paint, and the joy provided by more walks and potted pansies.

I love spring.

Linger

Spring has started to make an appearance in my little garden this week, with crocuses joining the hardy snowdrops. 

The latter are always the first come into flower, arriving en mass, heartily withstanding the final, flying snowflakes, and giving their assurance that more blooms will follow.

I'm not in a rush for the seasonal flowers. 

I want springtime to 

e a s e  into existence,

softly,

gently,

and then

  l    i    n    g    e    r 

luxuriously.

Springtime.

I hope you revel in it.

I'm linking with "Mosaic Monday". 

Thank you to Mary for hosting.