This is the view out to the patio from our jungly bedroom window. You can see our yellow forsythia blooming on the right, our red flowering quince (which is having a really good year) in the middle, and our tree fern on the left.
The forget-me-nots have started...
...and the snake's head fritillaria has one flower, and another on the way.
Our second round of daffodils, featuring the ones that look like lightly scrambled eggs, has emerged. Most of the blossoms have been demolished by slugs. We seem to have very active slugs this spring, probably because it's been so damp.
And finally the muscari, or grape hyacinths, have come out as well.
All of this seems slightly early, but apparently it really isn't. These flowers all appear in March in my earlier blog posts, too. I guess time is just flying by faster than I can fully appreciate it!
I am having headaches and face aches for some reason. When I was in Dublin I thought I might be coming down with a sinus infection, and I wonder if that's what's happening -- or if my body is fighting one off. I may actually resort to an aspirin or two today, which is pretty uncommon for me. I haven't seen any other sign of infection so who knows, but it would be typical for me to get one following a cold (you may remember I was sick a couple of weeks ago).
I finished "Yellowface" yesterday morning, which I loved. I'm not sure what my next book will be. It may seem that I am abusing my employer by reading at my desk, but I think it's actually my job to know books, particularly the ones in our collection -- so I can justify it by calling it work. (Blog-reading maybe not so much!) Yesterday was another slow day. I didn't hear from Dave at all. I really should text him this morning and make sure he's alive.
I came home and watched "Muriel's Wedding," which I've seen approximately six thousand times -- cinematic comfort food!
A lovely view to wake up to.
ReplyDeleteYour headache could be the combination of spring pollen and air travel..I know I get problems with that (although mine is with long haul flights). Hope it clears soon.
I just took some photos in the garden, from the iPhone, one photo at a time to make an optimistic post and I thought about your blog and here are your lovely photos. I wish you have a good day and feel good.
ReplyDeleteThat jungle view is amazing.
ReplyDeleteI haven’t seen Muriel’s Wedding since it came out. I should see if I can find it to watch again.
I hope those aches pass.
Yeah, you might want to check in with Dave.
Your garden is lovely with all the spring colour. My cinematic comfort food is Fools Gold.
ReplyDeleteHow lovely to live in a populous suburb with such a verdant view from your bedroom window.
ReplyDeleteWell, that's some nice color to watch through the window, or stroll through.
ReplyDeleteFeel better soon.
I also read "Yellowface" - maybe we have the same taste in books.
ReplyDeleteOh, Florida Boy! You have created a tropical delight to look upon from your window! I love it!
ReplyDeleteI did not enjoy "Yellowface" as much as you did. I know a lot of people loved it but I guess the protagonist was such an unlikeable person that it was hard for me to like it.
Yes! Take an aspirin or two. No need to be in pain if you don't have to.
I love seeing the pops of color outside. I have bright yellow daffodils, purple violets, and grape hyacinths even tho it is very chilly outside.
ReplyDeleteI'll be picking up "Yellowface" from the library tomorrow and am looking forward to reading it...
Spring is always my favorite time of year when everything is blooming and things are greening up. We're in the middle of a cold snap this past week and forecasted for next week. It is snowing north of here not to far. Hopefully after that the warmer temperatures will come back again.
ReplyDeleteYou have many spring blooms going. Lot of color.
ReplyDeleteMy cinematic comfort food is 'A River Runs Through It'.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful way to wake up and enjoy such a beautiful view! Love it! Actually, probably some interesting views during dusk and in the evening, as well. Very relaxing. From the base of the mini-mountain in Maine.
ReplyDeleteThat jungle view from your bedroom is so calming and relaxing. Just what you want when you wake up in the morning. Your garden is bursting with color.
ReplyDeleteI love how the grape hyacinths look!
ReplyDeleteMy book club recently read Tom Lake by Ann Patchett and Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson. Maybe one of those would appeal to you? Or if you want non-fiction, you could try All the Beauty in the World by Patrick Bringley, the one about the Metropolitan Museum in NYC.
Air travel and congestion are deadly for me--usually my ears though and not my sinuses. I love that jungly view; the plants give a lovely ambiance. I'm not sure what would appeal to you book-wise, but if you like Lisa See, I enjoyed "Lady Tan's Circle of Women." "Island of Sea Women" was excellent too.
ReplyDeleteI love Comfort Food Movies! That garden is magnificent and definitely ahead of us. I've never seen a snake's head fritillaria and it's a stunner. We should see full on forsythia soon if we can get the temp higher than 35! I agree -- you need to know the product if it's in your library! Read on!
ReplyDeleteyour body is probably telling you to take a break- that was a lot of activity on top of flying and recovering from a cold.
ReplyDeleteYour window is beauty!!!
Pretty flowers! I love that your taste in comfort food movies is so very different than mine - we like to watch Battleship (VERY DUMB alien invasion movie) when we need a comfort food movie.
ReplyDeleteTell me more about the snakes head
ReplyDeleteI just can’t keep any Aline in my garden
Your garden is just a treat. Quince is a lovely tree.
ReplyDeleteYou have lovely views out to the garden and everything seems to be thriving beautifully. Your tall tropical tees standing by the bedroom window look fabulous. I hope Dave and his band are enjoying their time in Berlin and suspect you'll hear all about it soon.
ReplyDeletePS, I meant to ask, where do the insulators on your bedroom window come from? Did they use those in England, too?
ReplyDeleteGZ: I find that I often have sinus problems after a cold. I think my flight was too short to blame it on that. :)
ReplyDeleteYael: I'm glad you associate my blog with optimism. I try to be generally life-affirming around here!
Mitchell: I'm hesitant to text Dave on these trips because I know he's got his hands full, but I did check in with him after I wrote this post. :)
River: I don't think I've seen "Fool's Gold." I have to look that up!
YP: We really ARE so lucky here.
Bob: I wish it were just slightly warmer so I could sit outside more. But soon enough!
Sillygirl: Did you like it? I've heard some people say they find the main character so unlikeable that they can't enjoy the book.
Ms Moon: We do have a rather Floridian thing going on there, don't we? When the banana tree leafs out it will be even MORE tropical. My former boss said the same thing about "Yellowface," but I found the main character psychologically interesting -- how without being consciously evil she made consistently terrible decisions and rationalized them.
Ellen D: I'll be interested to hear what you think!
Ed: We're back in the fridge for this weekend but then it warms up again. I think our frost is past, dare I say.
Red: It's nice to look out the window and see blossoms!
Debby: Oh, I haven't watched that in years. My main memory is how beautiful Brad Pitt was in that film.
Regina: Well, the base of a mini-mountain in Maine sounds pretty wonderful too! :)
Sharon: It would be nice even without the houseplants, but they give it a very tropical vibe!
Kelly: That museum book sounds very interesting. I think you blogged about it? Or was that someone else? I've heard mixed things about "Tom Lake."
Margaret: Thanks for the recommendations! I don't think I've read any Lisa See, actually. Must remedy that!
Jeanie: I wonder if it gets too cold in Michigan for the fritillaria. Dave (who used to live in Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo) says although we have similar plants here as in Michigan, others would never have survived Michigan's winters.
Linda Sue: Maybe! I could use some down-time for sure. I guess that's what this week was, with my slow days at work.
Bug: I've never seen that movie! I guess we all have our go-to comfort films.
John: We planted it near a rock wall, which I think helps with drainage and warmth. But I've seen them growing on Hampstead Heath too, so they don't seem to mind London too much. It might be too chilly/wet where you are? Also, squirrels love them. We had one positively demolished by squirrels.
Allison: This is the first year it has really bloomed well. We're so happy with it!
Susan: Things do seem to be doing well now that the spring sun is coming down. Winter is always so dark and I imagine the plants struggling!
Debby: No, they're from the states, all from Florida. I don't see glass ones here as much, but I've seen ceramic.
Yes, I had the review of the museum book. We picked apart Tom Lake in our book club discussion, but I still enjoyed it overall. Another I recently read (and will appear in my next monthly wrap-up) is Klara and the Sun. It's the latest by Kazuo Ishiguro. I really enjoyed it!
ReplyDeleteIn re: to your response to me...oh mine too. Miiiiiiiiine too.
ReplyDelete