A lot changed in the garden while we were away last week. There are more early spring flowers blooming, including these crocuses, which hopefully won't be trampled by the tree trimmers when they arrive today. They're right out in the middle of the lawn.
Also blooming are...
...the ornamental plum tree...
...and the flowering quince...
...and the lungwort.
It seems a few weeks early for all of this, but we have had a very mild winter. (So far! I suppose snow could still happen, though there's nothing in the forecast.)
And now, I have to run out and open the side gate and get things ready for the tree-trimmers. I will be so glad to get this done, even though I'm dreading it. I just want to stop thinking about it.
I made a valiant effort to repair Queen Liz yesterday. I went to the hardware store and bought some super glue, and tried my best to glue on her broken hand. But I could never get it to set well. The hand sits on a tiny, tiny plastic rod that protrudes from the Queen's coat. I couldn't use too much glue because if it touched the coat, the hand wouldn't move and all would be for nought. But I also couldn't see the point at which it broke off well enough to make that connection. Anyway, long story short, the Queen has gone into the trash. Enough is enough.
Today I'm going to try to catch up on responding to blog comments. I know I've been delinquent in that regard!
I leave you with a picture of a tiny slug on one of our daffodils. The slugs love these flowers and quite a few of them are looking very tattered. Wild Kingdom!
Tattered slugs or tattered daffodils? The flower photos are fabulous. I don’t hold out much hope for the crocuses with the tree trimmers’ visit. What a shame. It sure will be nice to have that done in time for the growing season to restore happiness to the garden.
ReplyDeleteI think you should have buried the Queen in the garden......with a proper ceremony!!
ReplyDeleteWill be good to have you respond to comments......I don't mind that you haven't done so for ages as I " know" you, but some bloggers never answer comments and it seems rather rude to not respond when readers are trying to have a connection and make a friend. Why blog if you can't be bothered?
Sorry, I seem to have used your blog to air a grievance. Hope you slept well last night and that the tree cutting goes OK.
You have thrown your statuette of our beloved queen in the trash?!!! Don't you realise that she was God's representative here on Earth? By the way we have a tree trimming business in this neck of the woods that was set up by three young men. It's called Tree Fellas!
ReplyDeleteLovely to see those blooming flowers, spring has sprung! Slugs, ugh.
ReplyDeleteYour flowers are gorgeous. Mine remain buried but I can enjoy your's:)
ReplyDeleteI was looking at my FB memories this morning & see that last year our daffodils were a lot further ahead than this year. So I have no idea what's going on, but I really do enjoy your flower photos!
ReplyDeleteToo late, but in those situations, I put on a drop of thick gel type superglue and then as I press the piece in place, I use my other hand to spray it with activator which will cure it literally in a second or less. I have activator around because I use superglue as a finish when turning small objects like pens on a lathe. I can wipe on a thin layer of glue, spray it, sand it, add another layer, etc and not have to wait for it to dry naturally.
ReplyDeleteI'm not surprised you couldn't mend the queen. Plastic doesn't really mend well even if you can see what you're doing.
ReplyDeleteNothing happening in my yard yet besides the 10 petal anemones.
Well guess what? We've got two guys in our backyard this very second, cutting down Bradford pears. Father and son and they are not fooling around at all. I feel as anxious as a cat. One of my cats, to be specific. I bet you're feeling anxious too with your trimming going on. Don't worry overmuch about answering comments. I don't feel like any blogger is obligated to answer comments nor are all readers obligated to leave them. It's nice when it works out but sometimes, it just doesn't happen. And although I know that many commenters do come back and read our answers, many do not. I sometimes wonder what the percentage is.
ReplyDeleteLots of blooming going on in your yard. I love all the flowers. Too bad about the Queen. The royal family has had some bad luck lately. ;-)
ReplyDeleteYou're doing something right as you have so many blooms.
ReplyDeleteMy heart is heavy, you trashed the Queen!
ReplyDeleteAll the flowers, already. They're lovely.
ReplyDeleteSorry Betty went on the scrap heap. Sic transit.
Hope the tree trimming has gone well and no problems have arisen.
ReplyDeleteWishing Dave an uneventful surgery tomorrow, and a quick recovery.
Stay safe & well.
It's surprising how much plants grow when we leave them to it for a few days!
ReplyDeleteAlas, Elizabeth. What a trashy farewell, but it sounds like the only way to go. A definite collectors item. I can relate -- I'm dealing with my basement and having a few Queen Liz issues myself.
ReplyDeleteThat garden -- spectacular! Just spectacular!
It's lovely seeing all your blooms. We've had some warm weather and I think some of the trees are starting to bud out. I just hope the fruit trees don't bloom then get hit by frost like they did last year. Despite our warm days, it's still gotten cold at night. It was 24F when I took my walk this morning. 🥶 My sympathy about the Queen.
ReplyDeleteI love the variety of those flowers and their bright colors. Very cheery! I too have crocuses (a variety of shades of purple) and the tulips are up quite a bit although not blooming.
ReplyDeleteYour flora is amazing. Today as we were talking at the table, a huge fat robin flew in, landed on a dormant tomato barrel next to where the birdbath used to be, then flew up to the arm of a chair and stared at us through the window for a second before flying off. Judy said he was saying "C'mon, get with it, I need a drink!" The birdbath needs some repairs but will once again appear.
ReplyDeleteOMG ... Your flower pictures are just so beautiful!
ReplyDeleteHope the tree surgeons did a good job today and that Dave's surgeons do well tomorrow! I can't help but feel that at the very least the queen should have been given a dignified burial in the garden and a moment of respectful silence. 😔
ReplyDeleteThe blooms in your garden look beautiful. Today, I noticed snowdrops just peeking above the soil. I am a long way from flowers blooming but that is ok. I'll be thinking of you and Dave tomorrow as Dave has his surgical procedure.
ReplyDeleteI'm just catching up on your posts as I was away in Houston for a long weekend. I'm jealous of your blooms in the garden and agree that you should have buried the Queen in your lovely garden! :)
ReplyDeleteYou should see the size of the slugs around here! One actually made his way into my home last week, easily three inches long and quite fat, slithering across my bedroom. Yuk!
ReplyDeleteAll your blooms look lovely, so I hope the tree trimmers don't do too much damage to them.
Mitchell: Yeah, that wasn't the best sentence structure. LOL
ReplyDeleteFrances: Well, I would't say I haven't responded for "ages." I'll sometimes let three or four days go by before I have a chance, but that's usually about as far as it goes. Responding to comments can be quite time-consuming and I guess I do struggle a bit with it because I suspect that many people don't ever read the responses. (I don't read responses to my own comments on other blogs, for example, unless I ask a specific question.)
YP: I have a sweatshirt from a business called "Tree Wise Men" that used to trim the trees on our housing estate in Notting Hill!
Chris: Isn't it great to see some blossoms? So uplifting!
Pixie: Yours will be up soon enough!
Bug: That's interesting! Several of our flowers seem earlier. I guess it all depends on geography and weather patterns.
Ed: Oh, I haven't even thought of activator, whatever that is! For the price of the glue and the activator I could probably buy another queen.
Ellen: Yeah, plastic repairs, especially on a tiny moving part, are not easy!
Ms Moon: I do too. I suspect many of my responses go unread, which is FINE, but it does make me wonder whether responding is really the best use of time.
Sharon: They HAVE! It is a stressful time to be a royal. (I suppose that's often true.)
Red: We really let things sort themselves out, for the most part!
Linda Sue: I hated to do it, but at some point we've just gotta move on!
Boud: Indeed!
Damselfly: Thank you!
GZ: That is true! I think plants really like to be left alone, for the most part. They don't like being "overcared for."
Jeanie: It's always hard to discard a beloved object, but sometimes you just have to move on!
Kelly: WOW! That's COLD! Colder than we've been all year so far.
Margaret: Yeah, our tulips are also pretty high! Still no buds yet.
Catalyst: That definitely seems like he was sending a not-so-subtle message! It's amazing how smart birds are.
Marcia: Thank you! I got out my macro lens for these, which I don't use often enough.
Debby: But at the end of the day she's a hunk of plastic, and I'd rather not bury plastic in the garden!
Susan: Our snowdrops have already come and gone!
Ellen D: I'm glad you got away for a trip! It honestly never occurred to me to bury her. Funny how so many of you had that impulse!
River: Oh, we have lots of really big ones, too. I think that one is a newborn!