With Renewed Enthusiasm

May I offer you a delicate Hellebore
seen in the park last week.

A huge thank you to all those people who have taken the time to leave very kind
 and heartfelt comments on the last entry here. entitled: "Why Blog?"
It was a great pleasure to hear from you all and I hope you won't be shy in the future!
It is these exchanges with you all which makes blogging such a fun and rewarding occupation!

For the past week, we have had a huge change in weather.
It has gone from grey and dreary to sunny with blue skies
and our temperatures have increased from -5C/23F to + 13C/55.4F

In the collage above, you can see the still frozen pond with tree reflections 
to the first wonderful signs of spring:
the yellow Aconite, white and purple crocus and snowdrops.
Even tiny green leaves were unfurling.

One day on my walk, I saw these young agile men. making me think of acrobats,
working together to prune a very tall tree.
Do click on the photo to make it bigger!

Here is one of the tree surgeons leaning right over to cut part of a branch.
All three men worked together, holding the cords and pulleys to created counter-weights.

This was the branch he was cutting.
I was very impressed and it was fascinating to watch.

One of the tulips in a vase which just happened to be the same colour as my tablecloth!

A walk in my neighbourhood took me past this lovely garden
where some wild primroses were growing at the base of a tree trunk.

Aren't they the most tender sign of spring?

Tiny crocus which have opened in the sunshine

and some darker ones that I saw in another garden.

Yesterday, I decided to go for a walk just before sunset.
I went up the hill in my neighbourhood, climbed up a rather muddy little slope
and just managed to capture the mountains and a slice of lake
as the colours were starting to change.

Less than fifteen minutes later, the sky had changed completely 
and took on a warm glow.
I must start going out more often at this time of the day and try and find different points of view.
That's sometimes a little tricky in a built-up area!

The flowers on the three Hyacinth bulbs have started to open.
Their fragrance is delicate and not too strong.

Here they are in their pretty pot.
My local florist's shop has a wonderful choice of flowering plants
and since Christmas, my home has never been without colourful flowers.

I made a collage out if my tulips as they started to drop their petals.
Just as beautiful as when they're fresh!

A little colour therapy in the form of two bright and colourful crochet doilies.
One can never have enough doilies, don't you think?
I usually go for fancy edges and often softer colours, but these two
rather glow in a joyful sort of way!

I'm still waiting for the arrival of my heart-shaped cushion filler
and in the meantime, I'm crocheting the other side of the heart that I already showed last time.

I hope you have all have a good week
and that you're keeping your spirits up
and finding time to do things which bring you harmony and well-being.

Next Wednesday, I go for my second Covid-19 vaccination.
To combat the pandemic, each one of us must do what is necessary.
In the meantime, stay safe and be happy!

22 comments

  1. I can't believe you're seeing so many colorful early spring blossoms. I'm sure it's enjoyable to get out and walk in the warmer weather. Your new doilies are so bright and cheerful. Exactly what one needs after the dreary days of winter!

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    1. Thank you, Cathy. Yes, the spring flowers are popping up everywhere now. I hope the trees won't come into blossom too soon as we're definitely not safe from night frosts yet. Yes, the little doilies certainly are bright!

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  2. A super post with lovely photo's. I'm so pleased to see you have renewed enthusiasm for blogging.

    Hugs, Sarn xxx

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    1. Thanks, Sarn! Yes, my enthusiasm has been renewed! Thank you for your faithful visits to my little world!

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  3. Gruezi to you. Wonderful to see all the lovely flowers. Spring is around the corner.
    Have a wonderful week!

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    1. Hello Gabi! Good to see you. Yes, it is lovely to see all the early spring flowers come into bloom. It is rather unseasonably warm for February, so I hope nature will not gallop forward too fast. We can still get night frosts for a while yet.

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  4. Already signs of spring? Yay! I love seeing bright colors in nature and your photos gives me that.

    Your colorful dollies are cheerful. I'm thinking I should get some new dollies.

    Have a lovely day.

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    1. Yes! Early signs of spring as the temperatures have been warming up. It was +14C today!
      I love all the different colours in nature appearing now. It all feels so joyful! Thank you for your visit.

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  5. Wonderful to see the signs of spring :) We need that after the cold and dark. I'm also glad that you have renewed enthusiasm for blogging ! Lucky you to have had your vaccin soon, still waiting for my first. All the best,
    Lasse

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    1. Yes, it is wonderful to see the signs of spring! I was happy to see that I still had friendly people coming in to visit my blog, even if many of them don't leave comments. It is that which renewed my enthusiasm!

      All went well with my second vaccination today!

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  6. Lovely photos, and I like your two doilies. The difference in which colour is the outside one is really interesting.

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    1. How lovely that you've come to visit me here, fairyhedgehog!

      As for the crochet doilies, I was playing with colours! It's amazing how changing the order gives a totally different feel, isn't it!

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  7. Lovely to see signs of spring popping up in your area, Sandra! So refreshing after a long winter. We are still snow-covered here, but it is warming up to 55 here today so at least some of the snow will melt :)

    Glad to hear you've a renewed outlook on blogging--would hate to lose your blog (and beautiful photos and crocheting!), Sandra.

    Received my second shot on Monday and other than being tired and having a VERY sore arm, I'm fine and so relieved to have it. I sure hope others who are fearful just go and get them done!

    Enjoy your last bit of February ♥

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    1. Thank you, Carol. It seems that spring is somewhat precocious this year and I do hope that everything won't be ruined if some night frosts return.

      The fact that I had so many lovely comments on my last blog entry, from visitors who don't usually leave a message, has encouraged me to continue!

      I had my second vaccination today, 24th February. It went perfectly smoothly. My arm is starting to get a little sore and I may feel more tired over the next few days, but all for a good (and very necessary) cause!

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  8. Good Morning Sandra, I do hope that you continue to blog. There are so many people like myself that don't have friends or family around as much as we would like and our blogging friends are very important. I so enjoy visiting your blog and taking walks with you through your beautiful neighborhood, not to mention the boat trips and train rides. I appreciate that you take your camera with you wherever you go and that you share your amazing talent of photography with us. So many of my blogging friends have quit and it would sadden me to see you leave as well.

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    1. Hello Connie, so nice to see you pop in! You maybe read my previous blog entry which I entitled "Why Blog?" So few people leave comments these days, that I wondered if my blog was still read by more than a handful of faithful friends. However, I received many lovely comments in answer to that question, and it has encouraged me to continue!

      I'm very happy that you enjoy coming here! Many blogs that I used to love have stopped from one day to the next. So sad to lose these dear blogging friends!

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  9. I am happy to read that all went well with the vaccination. Thank you for all the color of these pictures and the sunset landscape. It seem there were a nest on one of the branches in the second picture about the pruning.
    Have a nice week end,
    Miriam

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    1. Thank you, Miriam! Yes, that does look like a nest on one of the trees, but I don't think that the tree surgeons would cut off the branch if it were this year's nest. I will look to see if it's still there next time I pass by!

      Our weather is still going through a beautiful sunny skies period. I hope that you have a lovely weekend also!

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  10. What a nice visit to spring! I loved every shot in this post.I can't waitto see pinks and purples in real life. We still have snow, and just overnight, we got a good layer of unexpected ice.

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    1. Thank you for your visit, Sandy. Spring is really happening here now and it makes me feel so joyful! Though I know at this time of the year, we can easily have night frosts and rapid temperature changes! Snow and icy conditions sometimes hang on for longer than we would like!

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  11. So glad to see you are out and about! Beautiful photos of all that's beginning to bloom.... We too, finally got some warmer weather, and trees are starting to come alive. Thanks for sharing Sandra! Have a glorious week!

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    1. Thank you. Yes, spring is really taking off here and I have a collection of new photos for my next blog entry today. Lovely that your trees are coming alive too!

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