Along the Water's Edge

My favourite time to go down to the lake is early mornings

when it's very quiet and sometimes the lakeside is a little hazy.

This is the path I took, towards the Valais end of the lake.

The Valais is another canton.

I live in the canton of Vaud.

Canton can be translated as 'county' and there are 26 of them in Switzerland.

This is one of the first things I see when I cross the road from the metro station

over towards the lake.

I just love this elegant weather vane.

I've lined it up to fit into the open mouth-like structure on the stone column.

There are four columns and the cut-out opening shows which wind

is blowing at that particular moment.

I must take a photo of all four columns one of these days.

This sailing boat is always anchored in the same spot.

Before going in the direction I wanted to go, I just looked in on the steam-boat port.

They are still resting and their usual spring activity has been delayed

like many other things. in this uncomfortable period of the third wave of pandemic

currently surging across Europe.

The restaurants have also remained closed.

Some of the sailing boats in the port.

A fine line of snow can still be seen on the mountain range in the background.

Magnolia bud.

I did walk down part of the way to the lake.

I know that there are lovely Magnolia Trees lining the paths.

Many of them were still in bud form, but one tree in a sunny spot was coming into full bloom

These are a dainty variety of Magnolia with smaller blooms and long, expressive petals.

As we look to the right, we can see the Geneva end of the lake

with the snow-topped Jura mountains in the distance.

I did like to see a man on this sailing boat

I wondered if he was hoping the wind would allow him to take a sail

later on that morning.

In the meantime, he was just enjoying the peace of the moment, like me.

Above the lake there lovely areas to walk and I did enjoy seeing

this pathway lined with cherry trees.

There were other people up there enjoying the blossoms

and the excellent view of the lake from above.

The blossom was so beautiful close up

The blue of the cloudless sky set it off so perfectly.

This vibrant rhododendron bush was in full bloom

As I walked back along the lake, there was some activity on the water

A sailing boat had found a necessary breeze

and a boat of men doing rowing practice.

Coming back towards the port in Ouchy

We can see a small sailing boat in the distance going towards the Geneva end.

Coming closer to the area where I started my gorgeous walk 

along the water's edge.

There is such a feeling of serenity when I walk near the lake in the early mornings.

Early evenings are lovely too, though there are often more people there

to enjoy winding down at the end of their day.

I thought it would be lovely to end this walk by the lake with a colourful, flowery collage

of the blossoms and flowers I saw along the way.

The city gardeners do a grand job in the choice of flowers and colour combinations.

This spring, the colours are lots of orange and yellow, like these California Poppies above.

I hope that you are enjoying the beauty of spring where you live.

It's my favourite time of the year.

I seem to say that all the time!

I've just added my Easter greetings 

on Sunday April 4th!

The big chocolate bunny is a gift from my son and made from

70% cocoa Maracaibo chocolate!

The crocheted bunnies on the card and on the white jug

are this year's Easter decorations!

Happy Easter!

Capricious March

 

Blue skies and pink blossoms

is how I always imagine the beauty of springtime.

Such a soft shade of pink.

Yet the primoses are one of the first flowers to appear

I loved these growing out of a space in the wall.

All the lawns and grassy spots are dotted with them.

Tiny violets push through the earth

Such tender little flowers.

The buds on the Japanese Quince are starting to open

The golden daffodils sway in the wind.

I do like their back view, don't you?

My late afternoon walks often show me such pretty soft lighting

like this garden I passed in my neighbourhood.

On the way home, I admired the blue sky dappled with clouds

and noticed a bird's nest near the top.

For the first time this year, in fact since last summer, I visited my family

for the afternoon and evening in their home.

I made a collage of Miss Amy, the young family cat.

She has such soft fur and big round eyes and her mouth always looks as if it's smiling!

On the upper right of the collage, I took a picture of our supper.

We made mini pizza and then baked them in the Pizza oven on the table!

One morning, I went down to the lake to meet a friend.

It was a lovely day and we watched the tiny wavelets

break with a discreet whooshing sound on the pebbles.

Two swans were passing by and I did love the sparkles on the water.

Look at the beautiful trail the swan in the foreground is making in the water.

A magnificent Magnolia Tree was coming into bloom

The centres are amazing within a soft cloud of petals.

So many buds still to open

A two-tone Camellia on one of the many bushes

Just a few more blossom photos because the wind may have since blown the delicate petals away.

The bees are already busy with so much blossom to visit.

Wonderful stamen.

The month of March so far has been sunny and warm, windy and wet

and we even had a few snow flurries when the temperatures dropped.

I heard that it will be warmer next week and perfect for more walks in nature.

My favourite season of the year is the springtime.

What is yours?

I have finished the crochet project that I showed in my previous blog entry.

I decided to make a cushion cover.

I just need to purchase a slightly bigger cushion.

The collage from upper left to right:

- Creating the blossom from a circle into a square

- The finished side of the cushion cover

- Draped onto a cushion for effect

- The backside of the blossom pattern.

If anyone is interested in the pattern, it can be found 

at Apple Blossom Dreams

with many other lovely patterns.

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Remember to click on each photo to see it in full-screen size.

Flowery Seduction

Crocus time

Even better when you discover a whole garden full of them!

Delicate primroses and last autumn's leaves still on the ground

New street art in my neighbourhood.

Electrical boxes have been painted all over town.

I love discovering them!

Are we putting Earth First?

In my hand... the tiniest plant I have ever owned

I bought it in the florist's shop of the big Lausanne Hospital

when I had my second Covid-19 vaccination nine days' ago.

It's a celebration plant:

Two vaccinations, two tiny succulent plants, two little hearts.

The next day, I received this stunning orchid plant and beautiful card

from my son and his wife

congratulating me for having both vaccinations!

Wasn't that a thoughtful and lovely gesture?

Some days, the skies were just perfect

and when they are, I drop everything and get out in the sunshine.

I met a friend down by the lake, suitably masked,

and went to see the area where the beautiful steam boats are moored for the winter.

There are six of them altogether and here are two.

Click on the photos to enlarge them!

It's always lovely to stroll around the port and observe the lovely reflections.

There's a big park above the lake and these tiny yellow blossoms

really caught my eye.

For the very first time, I have a small Camellia bush on my balcony.

I'm amazed at the beauty of the buds and flowers.

I protect it from possible night frosts.

Someone asked me on my last blog entry, about the big nest in one of the trees

where the tree surgeons were cutting off branches.

I am happy to show you that the nest has been respected and preserved.

I took this photo to show you!

What a change in the lighting down by the lake when I went three days' ago

The weather forecast had told us it would be sunny

but.... this is what we saw!

I still liked the reflections and the yellow and red buoys

and the tree silhouettes stand out so well.

This was taken on the same morning.

Can you see the slight pink hue?

I heard on the evening news that our sun had been hidden by fine particles

of reddish sand blown over from the Sahara!

It does add an air of mystery.

This was taken from Ouchy, Lausanne.

The mountains on the other side of the lake are in France.

Blue skies are back and I just love how so many beautiful spring flowers are opening

From the upper left:

Deep pink magnolia bud, an apricot coloured Camellia

Sunny Daffodils and delicate pink blossom.

Today, March 5th, I picked a Camellia bloom

It is the anniversary of the first Covid-19 victim in Switzerland.

Today, at 11.59 am, the President of the Swiss Confederation, Mr. Guy Parmelin,

invited the Swiss people to respect one minute's silence for those 

who have lost their lives in the pandemic.

The church bells rang out from 11.59 and I lit a candle.

There have been 9.300 deaths in Switzerland to date.

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This is a lovely new pattern to try in crochet.

Flowers to celebrate spring.

Add some leaves and a circle and then a square

I know exactly where to find beautiful crochet patterns

and here is a link to my lovely friend Astri's blog:

Apple Blossom Dreams

You will find all sorts of tempting patterns there.

They are all very well explained with lots of photos and text.