It's pink tree season here in London -- the cherries are out and looking vibrant. Olga was especially impressed with this one. (OK, I was impressed and Olga was indifferent.)
And then there was this one, which we found in Hampstead on the way to the Heath. It had musical accompaniment from someone in a nearby house who was playing the flute. Not some middle-school kid, either -- someone who knew what they were doing, which gave the scene a very cultured air. I love it when spring comes and people open their windows and share their sounds with passersby.
We passed another house in Hampstead where electric guitar was pouring out of the windows. Good electric guitar. I thought, is that a record? Or maybe someone famous lives there, and they're practicing? Could I be passing the house of a '60s rock legend and have no idea?
It was a perfect day for walking, overall -- sunny and cool. And then we got quite a bit of rain in the night, and now, this morning, it's sunny and cool again! Ideal garden weather!
Speaking of which, I think the slugs are eating my wildflower sprouts. Argh! I thought, being wildflowers, they would be somewhat immune to pests. But apparently not our pests, which are seemingly bionic. I just went out to look at the seed patch and there were several little worm-like slugs crawling around on it, and some gnawed leaves on the sprouts. I also interrupted two earthworms mating, which was a puzzling sight. (Sorry about that, worms!)
Yesterday I ran some errands on the high street. A new-ish bakery moved in a few months ago, down by the Thameslink station, and I've decided I don't like that place at all. It's just a little too twee. Dave and I went there once and I think we concluded it was fancy looking and a bit expensive and just not very impressive. Plus they have a dog bowl out front that never has any water in it. It's always dry as a bone. Olga sticks her nose in it every time she passes and comes up with nothing. Somehow I find that incredibly annoying.
I love it when spring comes and people open their windows and share their sounds with passersby... "STEVE! YOU HAVE DONE IT AGAIN! HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU TO REPLACE THE BATHROOM TISSUE WHEN YOU HAVE FINISHED THE ROLL!"
ReplyDeleteYou're lucky to have so many good musicians around, not to mention beautiful trees. It could easily have been a legend from the eighties and after that you heard...
ReplyDelete"Twee" is a word I had not encountered before. Thanks for that. It is one of those words that sounds exactly like what it means.
ReplyDeleteI think you should tell the people in that bakery to fill up their water bowl! For goodness sake!
ReplyDeleteWhat if it were Ian Anderson who was playing the flute? Do you remember Jethro Tull?
What a lovely post. Those cherry trees are other-worldly.
I often say good eye on a photo. Now I can say good ear with your photo as well.
ReplyDeletepink tree season...good way to describe it! and yeah, I don't shop at pretentious places.
ReplyDeletepink tree season. i love that. the man and i went to ny botanical gardens yesterday and it was white blossom season there. next comes pink.
ReplyDeleteWe have both the pink and white trees blooming here.
ReplyDeleteGotta love the internet. I get to enjoy all your spring photos, then in a few weeks I'll enjoy spring here all over again! The only colour I've seen in person so far is from our purple crocuses, which lasted two days before the deer ate them. I can't wait for the pink tree season; in the meantime, thank you for these shots :)
ReplyDeletewell, that is a very rude surprise! Dexter refused to drink out of bowls left outside of shops,,,one sniff of other dog's
ReplyDeleteslobber and he became indignant. I traveled with his own fold up bowl and thermos of water.
I love learning a new word. Twee. The music sounds must have been lovely. A sweet balance to pink trees.
ReplyDeleteThat tree in the top photos is wonderful! I do love it when trees bloom like that.
ReplyDeleteto answer your question about bike safety in Phoenix, I see a lot of signs reminding people to watch for bikes but, I don't know of any statistics about actual accidents. That being said, I would have serious second thoughts about riding a bike on most of our streets. People just drive way too fast and change lanes often. Scottsdale might be a bit different because the streets in the old town area are narrower and the traffic slower. Oh, and those rental bikes lock after you end your ride. There are instructions on them to set the lock when you are done and that same lock will free up when a new rider enters their payment on the app. I've never ridden one but I did look at them pretty closely.
OK, Mr. Pudding's comment made me laugh out loud. Why is he always the first to reply? I have sleep habits that necessitate that I be awake from 1 am - 4 am EST, and yet he still beats me to the punch.
ReplyDeleteI've longed to know why you named olga "Olga". No judgement (which of course means it's absolutely about judgement but I've said too much) but Olga is such a sweet little honey that I wonder why you gave her such a, you know, guttural name?
She really is a big smooch.
Try crushing up egg shells and putting them around your plants to keep slugs off. That works here to keep them off of hostas.
ReplyDelete