Up-up-update

I started this post yesterday afternoon and then got distracted by cutting my finger badly while harvesting parsley.  Honestly, I am WELL past the age when people started trusting me with pointed-end scissors and I did think that I had a few years left before I got to the blunt-pointed ones.  Wrong again, I guess.  

This reminds me that I should document the indoor herbs, too.  

We went away for a quick break which is why I haven't been posting for a while.  This is opposed to the rest of the winter and spring when I just was being lazy.  Hard to believe that I really posted every day for weeks.  At any rate, the break was lovely and much-needed.

Well, we're back and the garden is looking pretty good.  Having spent the last few days being astounded by hillsides covered in daffodils, it's kind of nice to get home and find that ours haven't started yet.  Even though the daff-hillsides were amazing, it's nice to know that we haven't missed our own (albeit humble) display.

I took some photos this afternoon in the bright sunshine which has been punctuating the hailstorms.  Honestly, the weather this weekend has been weird.  And snowy.  And rainy.   

Anyway, there have been splatches of sunshine to encourage some growth.  And to give me the chance to document it.

In the front, there are our old friends the dirty snowdrops.

There is also a little patch of newer, more demure, cleaner snowdrops in the re-claimed bit.

There are pretty purply blue crocuses, thinking about opening, but maybe waiting until the weather warms up a bit.

There are pretty pale blue crocuses, following the mood of their darker compatriots.

And there is a veritable forest of things yet to come.  That's my favourite.  It's all in reclaimed ground.  There are alium, daffs, more crocus, and heaven knows what else.  I'm very pleased.

In the side, the Zwanenburgs are well and truly finished.  

The hycacinths are starting.

The daffs will be out soon.

The Pickwicks are in slightly rough shape, but still going.

The Pickwicks have been joined by the "Joyce" bulb iris.  I love these.  

There's a house on my usual lunchtime walk round which has these in its front yard and for years it was driving me nuts that there were these things that looked like irises, but grew like crocuses. I am very glad to have them in my garden now (and to know what the heck they are).

The lovely satin purple crocus are also going well.  They, too, cohabit with the Pickwicks, and I think the mating is absolutely wonderful.  I'm not responsible for it.  I wish I were capable of such planning.  

All in all, it was a welcome sight.  I love the bulbs.  I love the way that they come up in the spring without intervention on my part.  They come up before any weeds have a chance to ruin it.  They come up and shine when the sun doesn't.  What a happy thing a garden is!