Think of spring & the colour yellow comes to mind. Daffodils, tulips even dandelions & fields of brilliant yellow crops are now dominating our countryside. But spotting blue shades – these are the real gems of the season! Bluebells in the woods… This conjures up an idyllic picture, masses of beautiful blue flowers gently nodding in the breeze. Today I saw my first glimpse of a bluebell wood this season. It was such a joy, an unexpected treat. In a few seconds we’d driven by but the carpet of blue spread beneath the trees remained with me. This is not something I can create in my own garden, so the discovery of this woodland setting so close to the roadside was indeed a bonus.

Today’s weather has been assorted once more. This morning started promisingly with sunshine. By the afternoon this had changed dramatically. Someone emptied a huge bag of ping pong balls onto my lawn! I watched as they noisily bounced off the grass before coming to rest on the surface as yet more came tumbling down. A flash of lightning followed, then thunder. This it seems is  thunder snow. Funny I thought it was Spring!

Today has been a real April day – sunshine & showers. But it’s been wintry, cold blustery & the showers were a mix of heavy rain & hail! I hope my robins are okay; it’s not ideal conditions to be house building.

My high spot of the day was discovering a colourful display of tulips. Tucked away in a quiet no through road, the splash of colour was instantly eye catching. Bright yellow tulips, tightly packed together across a small front garden. They stood tall, in defiance of the weather, providing a real tonic. I guess they were chosen to make an impact. Approaching the house they look amazing, but I wonder if the home owners can see & appreciate the colour from indoors?

Later there was a chance bird spotting. A short drive in the car, past a field & there close to the road side was a bird, wings outspread, hovering. In their few brief seconds I caught a glimpse of this bird of prey. I wished I could identify it.

The lawn is looking ragged. It’s had the first cut of the year, but looks tired, neglected, in need of a tonic maybe. The appearance of my tiny patch of grass is not helped by lots of enthusiastic digging that’s been going on. The culprits are a pair of blackbirds who have taken control of this part of the garden. Between them they are responsible for tugging at any stray tufts of grass along the border.

It’s not easy to spot them, but the results of their work are more obvious. Leaves are tossed aside as the search continues for tasty worms or other tempting insects. Activity may stop for a snack, but then more debris, left from the winter months, is sifted & redistributed around the garden, as the reward of finding hidden treasure drives them to search for more! Even large twigs are moved in the bid to be rewarded with tasty morsels. Clearly the birds see more in this area than I can. They continue to return to this spot, sifting the soil, checking under leaves, tossing more twigs aside.

The Grannies have started to invade my border! Each spring it’s interesting to see where they will pop up. Often they march across the garden, cutting through my view from the kitchen window. The weather needs to be warmer for the flowers to open & the beauty of these plants to be enjoyed but my Grannies’ Bonnets look full of promise. The beauty of these plants is that they come for free. I did buy two or three plants years ago without realising that they self seed & cross… Over time there has been quite a mix of coloured bonnets appear in the border. Of course their real name is Aquilegia, but I prefer to think of them as Grannies bonnets. This describes the flower perfectly.

I confess some are more attractive than others. I love the blues, especially the darker moody blue shades, almost purple. One or two pale pinks remain, but when I spot one in a wishy washy shade I have learned to remove the flower head before it sets seed.

The fresh green foliage is providing great ground cover & the flower spike already shooting up with the promise of colour to come. Now all I need do is wait, patiently to see what colour Mother Nature has chosen for me this year. I’m rather hopeful of some moody blues…

We have new neighbours.There’s been much activity as a couple have been setting up their home. We’ve not been introduced yet, but they seem friendly enough. This morning they were up & down to their home, I felt exhausted just watching them!

The weather today has been cold & wintry – not ideal conditions for moving house, but they don’t seem to have been bothered by the rain, hail & snow showers we’ve had between the sunshine.

Later I saw our new neighbour peering at me from the fence.  It seems they understand that with their property they will also have access to my garden – including the outdoor bathing facilities!

Now I know why my little robin is such a regular visitor. They are busy building a home in the ivy cladding the wall next door. From here it’s a short flit to my garden. It is lovely to be able to watch these little birds as they create a home to raise a family.

I remember seeing baby robins whilst visiting a park. People nearby were puzzled by this brown bird & wondered what species it was. Young robins have quite a speckled chest – so unlike their parents. I guess the duller colours give them better protection – their uniform red would make them easy prey.

I am enjoying displays of tulips this season! There’s a lovely selection in the front garden of a Victorian house nearby. The tulips are a gorgeous cream colour. Each time I pass by I am envious of the garden. It’s a shady spot, a compact space & for me it comes just about eye level.

The owners have designed the colour scheme well, using creams & whites to lighten the space. Shrubs form the backdrop to the garden & these are just coming into leaf. Bright green leaves of hydrangea provide a lime glow. The whole scheme fizzes. I consider adopting a similar colour scheme. This would involve replacing, replanting. There would be the fun of researching new plants, using different planting combinations…

I would have to dig out my heathers, say goodbye to the grannies bonnets that pop up at random in their dark midnight blue hues, remove the pink perennial geranium that creates ground cover…

Many of these plants have been bargain finds, adopted over time. They are not great treasures, yet they are a part of me  & my garden. I realise I cannot part company with them. The white flower garden is beautiful,  I continue to admire it as it changes through the seasons & the huge hydrangea flowers bloom white. But I no longer desire this as my own front garden. My ecliptic scheme holds memories, a plant collection that’s grown over time. It has a beauty & joy of its own.

I have been envious of all the bright pink elephant’s ears that I have seen this season. While mine remain boring  & green.Now these may not be the most elegant of flowers, nor one of my favourite plants, but they are practical. In a narrow, shady border alongside the fence separating our garden & our neighbours they are ideal. This is an area that’s especially difficult to access – for me that is. Bindweed has no trouble at all – here it runs riot, winding its way under the fence or twining itself through the wooden slates. So the tough leathery leaves of bergenia best known as elephant’s ears makes an ideal choice. I have three plants in a row – my line of defence against the enemy weeds. The plants have survived where others were defeated in past attempts to create ground cover, but so far they have remained flowerless.

Today I spotted the first flower. A spiral of pink flowers, like a child’s ice lolly. It reminded me that I need to have a weeding session in the garden. This may sound simple, but in my compact garden I have to squeeze between a rose & large, vicious pyracantha shrub to crawl behind the plants & slowly work my way between shrub & fence panels at ground level. Looking closely at this patch of garden the time is ripe to achieve  this as the new fresh leaves of bindweed are just visible.

Friday night is bath night at our house. Robin loves to take a shower in the bath. I saw him perched on the edge of the bath before he jumped in to enjoy splashing under the shower. After a few moments the splashing stops & I can just see him peeking out to look in my direction before the bathing continues.

Suddenly he jumps out of the water & flies into the ornamental quince at the top of the garden. I’m not too sure if it’s Robin or Robina, but whichever, they are enthusiastic bathers, especially when it is raining & they can enjoy a natural shower! This natural show is a real delight, who needs TV when live entertainment is this good?

Rob arrived early this week – to check out the bathing conditions. Sitting on the edge of the bath he looked towards my kitchen & cast me a glance that said, “You don’t expect me to use this do you?” So I spent some time scrubbing the bath clean & refilled it with fresh water. My efforts were rewarded with the Friday bath time ritual.

I love it when my garden birds perch in the old ornamental quince. Once we tried taming it, but now it sprawls across the top of the garden, hiding the boundary fence & providing shelter to the numerous visitors that drop by. The shrub is one of the bright spots on a dull wet day, it’s brilliant red flowers seem to glow. I wonder if my robin thinks that he is camouflaged & hidden among the cherry red blooms? He stays here a while, adjusting feathers before leaving us. See you next bath night Robin!

Name your favourite flower. It seems since a simple question, but it all depends doesn’t it? What season it is & probably what mood you’re in too! In summer I might say roses, but now… It reminds me someone who told me her favourite flower was a dandelion! She went on to say it was the bright colour that made it her favourite. Her choice & explanation was reminiscent of Joyce Grenfell’s nursery school children. Well it is a flower & yes it is nice & bright, but it remains the bane of most gardeners’ lives!

It is not a flower I welcome in my tiny patch of garden, but today right in my line of vision there is one solitary dandelion, swaying defiantly as if to state its right to remain. Okay it is bright,but I don’t find the flower attractive. As daylight fades the flower closes & the petals come together now the sunshine has gone. Perhaps it hopes to remain hidden so that I will not seek it out with trusty knife in hand! Tomorrow if it rains as forecast the flower will remain closed, but with the first hint of sunshine & it will be basking in the brightness once more.

And when the flower fades it forms the most amazing seed head. Those dandelion clocks adored by children. The gardener in me wants to destroy the seeds, eradicate them. But I can’t help but see the magic in the clock – a perfect sphere. Look closely – each seed held together until ready to be launched in the breeze &  carried away on its own parachute to begin the process of growing more dandelions.

It’s just a short walk from my kitchen to the washing line in my tiny garden, but it’s amazing how often I can be distracted & waylaid. Today was no exception. There’s something about clothes that have been line dried in the open air – they have a distinctive scent, real outdoor freshness that no washing powder manufacturer can successfully imitate!

I thought I saw a face starring at me – an angry screwed up expression, cheeks purple with rage, explosive! This little face sits just outside my kitchen, one of many flowers on a gorgeous viola. I love these dainty little blooms. They suit my petite garden well, somehow pansies, no matter how colourful & cute look oversized, brash. My viola is unnamed, but it’s special because I rescued it! It’s part of a potted display that our local Hillier’s garden centre was selling off – cheap. A faded cyclamen, thyme and my viola. That was weeks ago now. My reward is the viola which has continued to flower faithfully. I think it must have known that I was in need of something to cheer me today, so among its flowers there was a very special face, to stop me in my tracks & smile. Sometimes it’s simply nature that can make a difference to a day.