Spring Cautiously Pokes Her Head Out

Looking through to the end of winter?

Now that the ground is drying up a bit, I've decided to reshape the front bed before the herbaceous perennials start growing. It used to be a large triangle of rampant plants, framed by a lot of beach rocks and a rickety arbour. By this time next week it's going to look like a gentle wave ebbing across the grass with a sturdy new arbour. Therein lies a good garden lesson: permanency can be over-rated. What seemed a brilliant idea 5 years ago now seems high-maintenance. I suppose part of that is my habit of not keeping my perennials in check. 

Here are a few plants awaiting the Lord High Remover's pleasure.

 I often wonder if the spring garden is so charming and so delightful because it comes on the heels of a long cold wet and gray season.



Like this primula elatior: "Gold Lace"

 Or this red and yellow cowslip: "Sunset Shades"

Double English Primrose: "Quaker's Bonnet"

 Oh please Garden Fairy, don't let my new pear tree get rust this year.













 See what I mean? It's all so glorious and bright.
Hellebores, pulmonaria, primroses, brunnera, and cowslips edging the shade garden.

 The two lemon trees survived winter, but they have a curious habit I didn't know they had, or perhaps they developed this curious habit as a result of being grown here in the PNW (as opposed to the arid south).

See the flowers, small fertilized lemons, and large, ripe lemons all jostling for space together?

 And the nectarines and peaches are in bloom, just in time for the Mason bees.

But wait! There's more!

Spring showing itself in the garden

New hellebore flower

Richard Parker, I presume?

What's that I hear? The happy jingle of my crunchies?

Toffee basks in the glow of familial worship

Random New Camera Photos

Cheeky primrose defies the pot of Mondo grass sitting on its head

Did you see that oh-so-critical word in that title up there? No? Well, go back and have another look. I'll give you a hint: it's not RANDOM. Got it now? No of course you haven't. Not to worry, this is my blog and I am here to inflict all my rambling witticisms on you, not to mention all the photos I'm taking with my new camera.

Sheila pauses and looks somewhat smug

That's right. My NEW camera. My old camera bit the dust (quite literally) one sunny day far far away and is now resting comfortably in Camera Heaven (that's what I tell the kids so they don't get too upset). It was a charming little point & shoot that I loved so much I put it in my This Is What I Get Should We Divorce record with Richard. He chose the espresso machine (like most sensible couples we only get petty over essentials). And while the old P&S was just a little slip of a thing, this new camera is a DSLR. It has weight. It has heft. Has a case that's bigger than my purse. Has a manual that is bigger than my purse. Comes with a DVD of instructions, but I haven't looked at that yet because, quite frankly, it scares me somewhat to think that I might not be able to understand what the heck they are talking about with all those weird f-things and apertures and stuff.

 But I digress. I promised to inflict photographs on you and inflict I shall!

Come closer and we will swallow you in one gulp

Sheila's Tidy Spot

Wait! What's that I spy with my little telephoto lens?

Why! It's a cherry plum, in full blossom!

Budding Pear

Sheila Gets Atmospheric

Toffee and his unwittingly obscene tail

Toffee's version of the Catwalk

He knows how to work it, doesn't he?

The trees are infested with these things!

Finally I can see what is off in the distance!

This reminds me of something from Spirited Away

 So there you have it. My new toy. I feel maternally thrilled with it, too, so no telling me that I'm out of focus or anything or I might mail you that instructional DVD.

By the way, is it me (oh please don't say it is) or it Blogger doing weird things? I do not like the new formatting palette I have and I don't like how I keep getting mysterious links added all over the place. If you have any thoughts (nice ones only) or tips do send them.