The Essence of Spring

Spring is here with its soft pastel tones

Early pink blossom

and sparkling water on the lake.

Crocus open in the warmth of the sun

and tiny anemone grow in the moss under the trees.

My favourite poem about daffodils

Growing in the city park

and those I bring home with me to put in a vase.

Now come the tulips

growing in the gardens

Some have crinkly petals

that go so well with one of my vases

Their petals are a work of art.

The warm sunny days call us down to the lake

This was taken in Morges and it's rather hazy,

but the Mont Blanc Mountain can still just be seen on the left of the picture.

The Magnolia were just coming into bloom

Revealing their beautiful centres and sunlit, soft petals

Another day and in a place called Cully along the Lake Léman

Here is the charming port.

Tiny Aubrieta flowers were growing in very small slits and cracks in the walls.

How they find enough nourishment always amazes me.

They come in the most beautiful shades of pink, purple and violet.

I couldn't resist making a collage of these little beauties!

These lovely orange tulips had started to drop all their petals

and when I put this flower down the patterned shadows from my kitchen curtains

made them look beautiful again. 

Accidental art!

It isn't spring without Forsythia!

I love this little gate entrance which I often pass when I go shopping!

Do you remember when I showed it to you in January covered in snow!

Have a little peep here:

Bringing Colour into Winter

I hope that you are enjoying the joys and the beauty of spring.

Spring Snow

I know that the first day of spring isn't quite here,

it's still two days' away.

That didn't stop fresh snow from falling in the mountains!

All the mountain scenes in this posting are thanks to a lovely early birthday treat

from my son who came over from Canada to visit his family and friends.

We spent a night in a beautiful hotel with a spa.

The Lavey Spa Centre is situated in the Rhône Valley surrounded by mountains.

Here are some of the warm thermal water pools.

The water from the baths comes from the hottest spring of Switzerland

(33° - 36°C).

It is caught in great depth, up to 600 metres, near the baths.

If you look up into a small snowy plateau on the mountain side,

you can see a little hamlet and the steeple of a church.

On the day of our arrival, we both had a massage at the spa centre

and then enjoyed swimming in the pools as it was snowing on our heads!

I like the Hammam very much which is steamy and perfumed with essential oils

which clears the lungs and respiratory system.

The centre under a deep blue sky at night.

I went here some years' ago with a girl friend on the longest day of the year

and we swam under the stars until midnight!

This lovely golden scene was taken from my hotel room at the spa.

This was the first sun of the morning, around 6.30 am which illuminated the peaks

in a golden light.

The new day brought us bright blue skies which contrasted so beautifully with the fresh snow.

The sun hadn't yet reached the foreground.

The branches are still bare, but tiny buds are swelling and getting ready

to burst open at that time when the temperatures rise over a certain amount of time.

This is the lovely Georgia O'Keeffe picture in my hotel room.

This metal statue is at the entrance to the Spa Centre.

I sat in the waiting area drinking herbal teas and waiting to be called.

I had chosen an Alpine salt scrub followed by a back massage done with shells

and heated oil!

We did several lovely walks in the hotel's park and beyond until we reached a waterfall.

This is a fun reflection I took in one of the metal deforming structures.

You can see part of the hotel in the background.

The water from a waterfall travels down to the Rhône River below.

The level of the water is very low at this time of the year.

We have had little rain and the snow has not yet melted.

In the late spring and early summer, you can hear the water

rushing noisily over the rocks.

A last look at this beautiful mountain range covered in fresh snow.

What a lovely early birthday treat and some quality time spent with my son.

A visit to remember!

I also came here with my daughter for the day last autumn,

to celebrate her birthday!

When March is Being Moody

Blue skies

and blossom

Lavender Pomander still life on the grey, windy days

Strawberries and cream coloured roses

which help us be patient for the spring flowers just starting to push out of the earth.

They last a whole week and

I love them at all stages.

Next came some tulips

illuminated in the morning sun shining on my round table by the window.

An explosion of petals

and shadowy centres

I bought some primroses for a window box on my balcony.

Gorgeous sunshine yellow

and soft peachy petals .

Two little fairies plan their day

and flowing petals in soft shades of grey.

March is changeable

and has many moods.

Never a dull moment in each single day!