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:

You will find all sorts of tempting patterns there.
They are all very well explained with lots of photos and text.


20 comments

  1. Hello Sandra, thank you for this beautiful blog post and all your stunning photographs. It is encouraging to see all these signs of spring. Your crochet is lovely too and I shall look for the pattern that you followed.

    My name is Christine, like you I was born in the UK but now live abroad, in my case I have been in Texas for 30 years. My sons are now both living in Europe completing doctoral studies. As you can imagine I miss them tremendously. I hope that, like you, I will soon be able to be vaccinated so that I can see my sons again, and the rest of my family in Europe.

    I have always enjoyed your blog posts. Your photography is absolutely stunning. Your crochet is wonderful and I have followed many of your links to discover new crochet patterns. I am grateful to you for making the effort to blog and share your life with all of us in different corners of the world. I am sorry that I have not commented before, I became discouraged when trying to comment on blogs and for some reason always being unsuccessful. I hope that you will be able to see this comment, and I look forward to reading more about your life in your beautiful part of the world.

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    1. Hello Christine, well your comment came through perfectly! I was happy to hear that you follow my blog and that you find pleasure in sharing part of my little world. That's so lovely that you chose to leave a comment today!

      I've never been to Texas, that must be quite a change from the UK! I did however live in White Plains, New York for a couple of years and that is where my first baby was born.

      The best part about having a blog is having exchanges with other people from all over the world! I love the connections!

      I can understand how much you must miss your sons living in Europe. I do hope that you can have your vaccinations soon to allow you to travel again and see your family. I know the feeling as my son and his wife live in Canada and I haven't seen them for well over a year now. Luckily, my daughter and grandson live here in Switzerland.

      I do hope that you'll come in to comment now when you feel like it! It always gives me great pleasure to hear from others! Thank you for coming in today!

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  2. Hello Sandra,
    another beautiful post and wonderful pictures. Yes, spring is at the front door. I love to watch the signs of live in the nature. All is starting to grow. When I look from my kitchen window towards the woods you can already see a shy green on the trees.
    Nice crochet you made.
    Wish you a sunny weekend.
    Greetings

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    1. Hello Gabi! It is a wonderful time of the year when Nature wakes up again. How lovely to see the woods from your kitchen window and observe the tiny new leaves forming on the trees!
      Our weekend will not be so sunny, rather mixed, but that is how it goes in the spring! When the sun comes out, then so must we go and enjoy it!

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  3. I wish some of the plain old roadside boxes could be painted so prettily in thus country. It's a great idea.

    Thanks for the lovely trip around your area and for a photo of your wonderful crochet.

    Beautiful orchid . . . Thoughtful gift from your son. Love your little plant held in your hand too.

    Have a lovely weekend.

    Hugs, Sarn xxx

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    1. Thanks, Sarn. I love the initiative of painting those plain grey electrical boxes with different art all over town. It really makes things look cheerful.

      With the longer days, warmer temperatures and two Covid-19 vaccinations under my belt, I shall soon start circulating again in new places!

      I hope you are enjoying some lovely signs of spring! I remember the daffodils and the bluebells in England. Wonderful!

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  4. I think the little succulent plants that you bought in celebration of your two doses of the vaccine is just perfect, Sandra! I wish I had thought of doing something like that (instead I purchased a loaf of freshly made raisin bread as our shots were given in the pharmacy of a large supermarket chain--ha ha!!). I'm so happy you got your shots and it is heartening to see more and more of the world getting vaccinated. The orchid your son and his wife sent is so beautiful--what a thoughtful gesture indeed!

    Love your photos as always--especially the ones reflecting in the water and the carpet of crocuses. We have no flowers here yet at all--maybe by the beginning of April. Beautiful colors in your pretty crocheting, too... Spring is definitely here!

    Enjoy your weekend ♥

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    1. Well celebrating your vaccines with a raisin bread was good too!! It's going to take a very long time for the whole world to be vaccinated - and until then, travelling by plane will not be easy.

      I'm so enjoying the spring flowers here. The gardens are full of primroses, violets and crocus and the daffodils are just starting too! Such a wonderful time of the year!

      Always lovely to have you visit, Carol!

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  5. Love, lovely and lovely, Sandra. I especially like the "two" themed plant and the lovely flowers from your son and daughter-in-law. Thank you for the kind words in regards to the crochet patterns. You're crocheted items are so beautiful and a great way to welcome springtime!

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    1. Thanks so much for popping in, Astri. I'm glad that there were no difficulties in doing so. I tried to leave a comment on another blog and the same message about having to be a member popped up. Something has changed on Blogger in settings. I sent you a couple of links yesterday, maybe they will help.

      Yes, the blossom crochet is perfect for this time of the year and such fun to do now I almost know the pattern by heart!

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  6. Hi Sandra, That was a suitable title of your blogpost !! Flowery and beautiful, and lovely to see the spring is coming. Glad you have had your vaccins, still waiting here for our first....and your crochet work is outstanding !
    All the best,
    Lasse

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    1. Thank you, Lasse! Yes, spring is so gorgeous at the moment and each new day shows new spring flowers!

      It's nice to have my vaccinations behind me and now I can start socializing with family and vaccinated friends again - just a little at a time and still being careful!

      I hope to show the finished crochet project sometime soon!

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  7. Well...it was a nest and it is safe and sound :-))
    Yes, thank you for all the flowers and the colour of this post and the pictures of your crochet works. I bought a camelia last year. It survived just a few weeks. I don’t know what I made wrong, but now I am really undecided about buying a new one.
    Have a nice afternoon, ciao,
    Miriam

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    1. Hello Miriam! How lovely to see you! I took the photo of the nest just for you! :)
      The flowers are getting more beautiful with every passing day!
      I'm not sure if having a Camellia plant will be successful on my balcony. We are getting rather cold nights still and I think it's suffering. I wrap it up every night to protect it, but the leaves don't look happy.

      I hope that you're enjoying spring flowers where you live too. Till next time!

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  8. These are all lovely view into your world. I'm a big fan of flowers and these shots are quite wonderful I like the hint of pink in that sea view.

    I should really try to crochet again, haven't been so good at learning it but every time I see a finished piece from you, it makes me want to go and try it out again.

    Have a lovely day.

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    1. Thanks, lissa. I love flowers too and this is the most marvellous time of the year to enjoy them!

      If you feel like having a go at crochet again, there are marvellous YouTube tutorials that are very helpful!

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  9. Oh, those crocuses are a delight to the eyes! My favourite color. :)

    I love those wavery reflections in the water beneath the boat, and the beautiful flower photos. And Astri's pattern is so pretty! She has such a great eye for flowers and for putting colors together (as do you).

    Congratulations on being vaccinated! I don't know when my turn will come, but I look forward so much to being able to visit family members again.

    Almost forgot to say, that camellia is breathtaking. Enjoy those blossoms!

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    1. So lovely to have you visit, Sue! The earl signs of spring have been both beautiful and abundant, but now everything is on hold as a cooler week is blowing through with March winds and a sprinkling of snow!

      I agree that Camellias are such stunning flowers. I'll be doing a new blog entry today with some beautiful Magnolia coming into bloom down by the lake.

      Yes, it was lovely to see family one day last week for the very first time!

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  10. This is a lovely post full of beauty and fun. Many gorgeous spring flowers and a walk by the lake with a friend. Sounds like the perfect spring! I, too, love the brilliant blue skies in spring. Spring and autumn skies are my favorite colors of blue! Enjoy your pretty spring!

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    1. Thank you, Cathy. Yes, the blue skies of spring and autumn are my favourite too! In fact they're my favourite seasons, in that order! The lake is so beautiful when the sun is shining!

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