Goodbye May!

Beautiful Redbud growing very near my neighbourhood.

I can't believe how quickly the month of May has gone.

Every day I wanted to make a new blog entry, but there was always something else

which seemed to take all my attention.

So I'm making a new entry before I go to bed on the last day of the month.

The Dogwood flowers have been especially beautiful this year.

They look so lovely against that light blue sky.

Sitting in the park one day in the shade of the chestnut trees which were in flower.

A small wild flower growing among the wild grasses in the park.

The Rhododendrons have been simply gorgeous.

The tender pink of the Abelia bush taken on an early evening walk in my neighbourhood.

My birthday is in the middle of the month of May

 and this lovely card was from my son and his wife. 

It's beautifully embroidered!

I went with a friend to stay a night in a hotel above the lake and near the town of Vevey.

The view from there is stunning.

Here is one of the statues on the patio!

There are five different very realistic sculptures around the hotel.

This one of the young couple is amusing!

This is the patio where we had a delicious birthday lunch under the parasols.

We were so lucky with the weather.

Towards the evening that was a storm with thunder and lightning and we witnessed the most

amazing double rainbow.

The sky turned black and we watched it through the dining-room window.

It was most impressive.

A double rainbow for my birthday!

The next morning before breakfast, I had a lovely long swim in the hotel's pool.

Sheer bliss!

There were two other ladies already swimming in the pool when I arrived at 6.45 am

I waited till they left before I took the photos

The patio adjoining the pool

Here is my individual birthday cake: dark chocolate mousse with fresh raspberries.

Multi layers of peachy coloured rose petals.

I started a new crochet project which I've called: Birthday Rainbow Blanket!

I've recently discovered a new way of joining crocheted granny squares.

It seems to be working well.

The first nine squares are joined and there will be more to show next time.

A newly painted electric wires box.

'Love is in the air'!

In memory of a loved one, forever close to my heart.

The words are by Theodor Seuss Geisel.

May has been mostly sunny and we even had a few days of heatwave

with temperatures around 30C.

Too hot for me and I was relieved when it cooled down to about 23 degrees.

Tomorrow, it will already be the month of June.

I just wanted to add this little drawstring bag I made from a pattern.

The red,white and blue is in honour of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

I kept a souvenir postage stamp of the Queen, then Princess Elisabeth, when she gave

a radio broadcast with her sister, Margaret.

It was an encouraging message to all British children during World War II.

What an amazing Queen.

Maybe some of you, like me, have been watching the interesting programmes of the

celebrations on the BBC on television.

Link to the pattern by SewHappyCreativ

A Chocolate Ganache Birthday

I've always loved having my birthday in the month of May,

on the fifteenth of this beautiful month to be exact.

Very often, we go through a colder period just before mid-May

which is known as Blackthorn Winter or the Ice Saints.

Very often, my birthday catches the tail-end of these colder days.

So be it

it's just a matter of adapting!

This is the first birthday that I spent completely on my own

because of the Covid-19 and the need for social distancing.

I made my own cake and froze some of the slices to share when I can finally have a social life again!

The second Sunday in May is Mother's Day here in Switzerland

So it's lovely to have two celebrations really close together!

These beautiful flowers and the lovely rose petal card were sent to be by my son.

Such a beautiful choice of my favourite pastel-coloured flowers

and very much appreciated.

Then it was my birthday with beautiful peonies and some cards.

Many lovely phone calls, facetime and e-cards and messages.

Peonies, with Lily of the Valley, are my favourite flowers in May

They are beautiful even when their petals start to drop.

For my birthday, I received a charming Swarovski crystal Blue Jay ornament

from my daughter.

My balcony has been a real joy during this period of confinement.

I purchased new plants and have filled my life with colour

and the buzz of bees collecting pollen.

This little corner is right opposite my kitchen

and this is where I sit to eat and to read.

I made the small blanket on the back of the chair way back in January

when I was inspired by the colours in a January sunrise.

See here: January Sunrise Blanket

My strawberry plants are doing so well.

This morning, I counted over fifty tiny strawberries developing!

I have twelve new geranium plants and this coral colour is my favourite.

Besides having eight window boxes along the railings of my balcony,

I have several pots of different shapes and sizes

and one of them contains three beautiful dahlia plants. 

This is one of them.

I do love the perfect symmetry of their petals and they come in such wonderful colours.

Another pot contains African Daisies

(Botanical name: Osteospermum)

Yellow and Pink live together in harmony.

There is a big pot of Campanula and these little flowers have been coming back

year after year.

Frequent and daily walks have kept my spirits up during these days of self-isolation.

After three weeks of total lockdown in March,

I started to go out for very early morning walks when virtually nobody else was out and about.

Now I walk twice a day, once in the mornings and then again in the early evenings

after shops close, around 7 pm.

The lighting is so pretty at that time of the day.

I passed by this colourful red house one evening this week

and I loved the play of sunlight and shadows and complementary green leaves.

An early morning walk took me past a beautiful Dogwood Tree in full bloom

Up some steps lined with a Beauty Bush

also called Kolkwitzia Amabilis

Here are the lovely flowers close up.

Closer to home, growing by the small allottments next to my building,

I saw these Starflowers (Borage) in the morning dew.

Reconnecting to Nature

This morning, Sunday, I walked down to the big park which is about 25 minutes away on foot.

I felt the need to be among trees and greenery

and to my joy, the Rhododendrons were still in bloom.

This colour took my breath away.

We can do so much to keep our spirits up when going through 

a difficult period.

It's helpful to live in the moment

to seek out beauty

to connect with Nature

and not project any fears concerning the future

which actually only exists in our imagination!

My Spring Garden crochet project is moving forward.

I'm planning on making a cover for the chest at the end of my bed,

but who knows, it may want to grow bigger!

How are you doing?

Are you discovering new and lovely things in your life?

The present situation helps us recognize the essential.

The Wisdom of Birthdays

I have always loved the fact that I was born in the beautiful month of May.

Spring is my favourite time of the year.

Nature is in all her beauty and usually it is not yet too hot!

Here are my cards and a new recipe for a delicious flourless chocolate cake.

which is made with 250 grams of high quality dark chocolate

3 eggs

50 grams of butter and 50 grams of raw cane sugar.

That is all.

The secret is to bake it for only 15 minutes so that it remains soft and very moist.

I received three beautiful red roses from my son and his wife.

They came with that lovely red rose card on my table above.

My daughter's gift is yet to come a little later.

It's a surprise, so I cannot talk about it here!

Isn't this card fun?

It came from a good friend.

The words were the best wisdom for this year's birthday!

Our 'bounce', or our resilience in life,

is what allows us to deal with the more difficult events that we may encounter.

Peonies continue to bring me joy all through this beautiful month

Their detailed centres are amazing.

I love notebooks and received this one

with a particularly beautiful cover designed by the British textile designer,

William Morris.

You can read about him 

here

The first entry in my notebook is the one from the card I received.

That's true!

These last two messages were inside my daughter's birthday card!

May so far this year, has not been the warmest nor the sunniest month.

We have had gale force winds and rainy days.

I find rainy days can be calming when the rain is gentle

and I love walking with my red umbrella in and around my neighbourhood.

enjoying the freshened greenery and listening

to the pitter-patter on my umbrella. 

A quiet birthday this year,

but filled with love and gentleness.