The breeze has felt balmy these last few days, carrying fragrances of wattle and pansies and promise of warmer days. Laundry has dried quickly on the line in the garden, resulting in that lovely sunny smell once dry and, during a morning Ooh and Aah session, walking around my garden, I was delighted to discover this first Jasmine flower.
It has been warm enough to sit outside under an old poinciana tree to enjoy morning tea and lunch during my working day, a real treat and a great opportunity to gain perspective on the day.
Living in coastal Queensland means that spring bulbs are not really a viable garden option. I have fond memories of growing hooped petticoats, jonquil and freesias in our New Zealand garden, but now I content myself with jasmine, azaleas and the amazing sight and fragrance of golden, powdery wattle blossoms. There is a wisteria on our front fence, but alas, another year has seen no sign of dangling perfumed purple blossoms. I wait patiently and hope...
I have memories from primary school days in London, when we had the opportunity of buying a daffodil bulb, in the winter, to take home with instructions how to plant and care for it, to be brought back to school on a designated day in spring for judging. There was keen interest in this competition and hopes were high that our bulbs would be in flower come the big day. Winners, who were those with bulbs in flower received a glossy certificate, they were highly prized.
Another daffodil memory is of buying my mum bunches of daffodils in bud, from a stall in the local market on Saturday morning shopping trips. Twelve pencil shaped stems comprised a bunch, held together by two or three tiny rubber bands. I loved buying these because they would open in the vase on the dining room table and last over a week, a true investment. I think I paid two shillings for those golden treasures, Mum loved them.
Our winter has been very mild, only a few chilly days that I recall, but some low pressure areas off the coast, producing strong winds, high tides and big swells have caused significant damage to local beaches. The dunes are fast disappearing, making access to the beach quite dangerous. Not an easy image to capture, but I tried.
I ventured out on the ocean on my annual whale watching adventure recently, alas, nothing like the spectacle that I enjoyed last year, but a refreshing trip off shore, again bringing perspective to where we live, on a narrow coastal strip, wedged between ocean and mountains. Sadly the swell was significant an many unfortunate passengers spent their trip in less than optimum condition!
Our garden has undergone significant changes in recent months, we have reduced the width of the main flower bed, replacing shrubs and replanting, so to relieve the bareness of the fence while we wait for them to grow and to add colour, I introduced some art, inspired by our visit to Warwick's Jumpers and Jazz festival, last month. Simple but effective.
The CDs in the frangipani tree double as wind-chimes and light show, as the sun catches them, the reflections dance lazily or madly around the garden, depending on the breeze.
The promise of Spring has inspired me,I'm off to the local plant shop in the morning to buy plants to put into pots on the back patio, maybe my luck will change in that area, its worth a try.
Happy Spring!
Simply Susan
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