spring flowers

It has been so warm and pleasant these last few days, and I don't work on Fridays for the most part so a welcome chance to spend some time in the garden. Things are really starting to look colourful, and where I have been carefully clearing more shoots and flowers are appearing. There were these oh so delicate windflowers - our native anemone nemorosa, which will be carpeting woodlands across the country over the next few weeks. We are lucky enough to have it here, tucked away amongst the weeds and overgrown bits - 

then, in the corner of the steps down from the "patio" at the back of the house I found this little primrose, nestled in a sheltered spot. This too is carpeting out hedgerows just now. I had to go over to Wadhurst yesterday and there were lovely splashes of these, along with ladies smock and more anemone sprawling in the verges at the side of the road.





The flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum) are absolutely luscious as they catch the evening light. They were my late mother in law's favourite flowers, I used to rather look down on them, but their glowing pink at this time of year is just magic.







As we are digging and delving in this rather neglected magic space, we come across the remnants of an earlier plan - the vision as we understand it, of our occasional neighbours' parents who occupied our house for forty years. These have so far included this rustic path from shed to lawn, a great improvement on the muddy swamp that was the result of the whole path being covered in several inches of soil which had, I guess, been allowed to encroach until the path had quite disappeared.



Today I uncovered what was, we suspect, at one time a greenhouse, but now just a path of crazy slabs with weedy beds each side and to the rear. The fence at the back runs between us and our neighbour. From here Mad Dog Daisy, who closely resembles an animated rug, races fiercely, very sure that this territory simply MUST be hers. Sadly, when we appear there is a great kerfuffle, lots of bouncing about, fur madly flapping, followed by a hasty retreat, her bark being larger than her ability to actually stand ground and deliver. Our cats simply ignore her, sure that she is utterly beneath their notice!

Later in the afternoon, as I was sitting having a welcome cup of tea inside, this little chap appeared, busily fossicking around in the small yew just outside the back door. Happily, cats were indoors and so he could pick and peck to his hearts content. Once satisfied, he obviously had a brief whispered conversation with the work gnome before fluttering off to hide in amongst the trees where no feline can reach.