Last Day In March…
Well hello! I hope that you all had a very blessed Easter. We had a lovely Easter, our Easter church service on Sunday was fantastic, the joy for the risen Lord was so evident as we sang praises together! Our pastor had the cross that they had walked up and planted up on Dartmoor on Good Friday brought into the church (obviously someone was kind enough to hike up and bring it down). As they did so, I felt so moved to think of this solitary cross standing planted on the Moor’s, a beacon and silent testimony to all who happen to walk past it over the Easter weekend. Hallelujah! Our Lord is risen!
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| Our Easter Mantle This Year. |
After a rather unsettled start to the week, we have been blessed with some marvellous spring weather. The girls and I went for a little walk and happened upon this very cheerful fellow…
He wasn’t a bit scared and gave a wonderful vocal performance, I even managed to get a little video clip of his singing which I shall share once I have uploaded it to Youtube.
In the garden today we opened up the summerhouse and enjoyed sitting listening to the birds and watching to see who popped up in the pond. We spotted a few newts and one of our resident frogs made an appearance. I have to say that I think I am going to enjoy the summerhouse. I have wondered at it’s usefulness but sitting there today I felt completely removed from the hustle and bustle of life and immersed in the peaceful lullaby of nature.
My garden is a riot of colour at the moment. Primroses and Lesser Celandine are in abundance as are camellias. I have 6 different camellia varieties in bloom in my garden. Bluebells are just beginning to creep in too. My garden is like a mini soon-to-be bluebell woodland. An odd flower or two has already peeked out but I’m kind of hoping that they will all hold off blooming until the mid to latter part of April. I just want to savour each garden moment before the next moves in.
Two large Camellia shrubs are directly outside my kitchen window, it makes washing up the dishes less of a chore 🙂 and doesn’t my mothers day orchid look marvellous in the foreground?
March has been lovely! I’m a little sad to see it go, but so excited to welcome April in tomorrow.
Tomorrow I’m going to plant my vegetable and flower seeds, it’s a bit early to sow directly into the soil but my lovely husband treated me to a little portable greenhouse which will do very nicely in seeing my seeds off to a good start.
Okay, that’s it from me today. I have school planning to do tomorrow too as we begin our lessons on Monday. I have a few Charlotte Mason thoughts to pen down for you too. On that note, can I just say how much I have enjoyed reading your comments on those posts – and on the Crock-pot Chronicles. A few of you have tried out the recipes and loved them – I’m so pleased! I would hate for you to try them and be disappointed. So thank you to everyone who leaves a comment, they are appreciated and I thoroughly enjoy reading them.
Blessings to you all…
15 Comments
Gill
March is roaring out lionlike here, it's been snowing all afternoon! It's lovely to see your spring garden awakening to full glory.
Shirley-Ann
Wow – snowing!!! Of course it's been known to snow here in England in May apparently – although I think that was many decades ago 🙂
Elizabeth
I do not often post comments on the web, but again I feel moved to do so on your blog. (Your kind comment to my recent post mean a lot.) It is just lovely and when I see your photos and others of England, it stirs such a longing. Any place in the U.S. that somewhat resembles it, sweeps me away. Part of lower middle Tennessee for one with its rolling hills and storybook barns,stone fences, adorable old country churches and 1800's farmhouses. Still, nothing beckons like England and I don't know why except that the 80% English ancestry just knows somehow.
Your comment about being immersed in the peaceful lullable of nature reminds me of this quote from Elizabeth Goudge in The Rosemary Tree,
Beauty awakened such intolerable longing that people often shut their eyes to it, unaware that the longing was the greatest treasure that they had, their very lifeline, uniting the country of their lost innocence with the heavenly country for which their sails were set.
Only in the past year have I discovered Goudge and just the other day this magnificent quote jumped out at me. Her books are infused with the beauty, scents, sounds and longing of and for peace and place.
Anyway, lest I sound ungrateful, I do live in a beautiful place and this windswept, rain-greened evening with the wood ducks calling, I am beckoned here and somewhere unknown.
I do not often post comments on the web, but again I feel moved to do so on your blog. (Your kind comments to my recent post mean a lot.) It is just lovely and when I see your photos and others of England, it stirs such a longing. Any place in the U.S. that somewhat resembles it, sweeps me away. Part of lower middle Tennessee for one with its rolling hills and storybook barns,stone fences, adorable old country churches and 1800's farmhouses. Still, nothing beckons like England and I don't know why except that the 80% English ancestry just knows somehow.
Your comment about being immersed in the peaceful lullable of nature reminds me of this quote from Elizabeth Goudge in The Rosemary Tree,
Beauty awakened such intolerable longing that people often shut their eyes to it, unaware that the longing was the greatest treasure that they had, their very lifeline, uniting the country of their lost innocence with the heavenly country for which their sails were set.
Only in the past year have I discovered Goudge and just the other day this magnificent quote jumped out at me. Her books are infused with the beauty, scents, sounds and longing of and for peace and place.
Anyway, lest I sound ungrateful, I do live in a beautiful place and this windswept, rain-greened evening with the wood ducks calling, I am beckoned here and somewhere unknown.
Helena
This may be a silly question, but what is a summer house? Is it like a gazebo?
Shirley-Ann
Hi Helena,
A summer house is a small building (often a little wooden building) in the garden traditionally used for sitting/relaxing in during fine weather. They range from the simple to rather extravagant. People use them for a number of things, it could be where you run a small home business from, or a writing room, or just a place to sit an relax. Ours opens up over our little pond and apple tree. We have views across the garden hedge and over the countryside. We have furnished our summerhouse with a L-shaped couch and of course lots of bunting. it's a lovely place to be when the weather is fine. Although I have to say that I bought a little blow heater which we use in the summer house so that we can use it in winter too. My teens have used it quite a bit over the winter when their friends come to visit. I'll definitely do a summer house post sometime and give you a little 'peek' 🙂
I think a gazebo is more open on all sides? Summer houses can be closed up in the winter. Ours is fronted with double cottage pane glass doors so that the front opens up completely in the summer.
Elizabeth
Hello, again.
IF you post my comment, could you correct my "lullable".
Also, I see that confusingly I refer to my comment as a post (in one place), and I should have referred to your response as just that. I would fix it if I could. Thanks!
Shirley-Ann
LOL – don't worry Elizabeth, I know what you mean by "lullable" and "post" 😀
I absolutely LOVE that quote that you left by Elizabeth Goudge. I haven't heard of her before but I will certainly be on the lookout for her books. Some people certainly have a gift with words and it sounds like she is one of them.
Have you read The Magic Apple Tree by Susan Hill? You should try and get a copy, she writes beautifully of rural English life.
Have a lovely weekend 🙂
Elizabeth
I have not read Susan Hill, but will certainly look into that.
Goudge also wrote about England and vividly described the countryside. The first of her books I read was The Scent of Water. I though it was wonderful. Now reading The Rosemary Tree and The Dean's Watch.
Also, am reading aloud Goudge's Little White Horse to my 14 year old. Having felt cheated at not having known of Goudge until recently, this is one "children's" novel that was on my must read list. It is dismaying that this author is not so popular in the U.S. as she apparently is in Britain.
karen
pretty views from your springtime March month. Lovely catch up!
Shirley-Ann
Thank you Karen 🙂
mamasmercantile
What a lovely roundup of March, we have certainly been blessed with some lovely days weatherwise. Nice that you are able to get out to the summer house, that must be a joy. Take care.
Denise
Hi Shirley Ann,
Thank you for your visit and kind comments. 🙂 I love your post and photos today!! Yes, Easter is a joyous celebration for our risen Christ!
I love the banner hanging on your fireplace and would love to have one. 🙂 Is the darling bird an English robin? Your English robins are much cuter than our American robins. The coloring is very similar, but ours are much bigger. It sounds like you're thoroughly enjoying spring there, as we are here. Have a great weekend!
Blessings,
Denise at Forest Manor
Shirley-Ann
Thank you Denise 🙂 Yes it is an English robin – made famous and immortalized in snowy Christmas cards 🙂 They are adorable – definitely one of my favourite birds for sure.
Unknown
Your pictures are just lovely. Camellias are my favorite. Mine finished up a couple of weeks ago, but I cannot see them from a window. 🙁 Could you tell me what book that is with the horse picture about March? And I just finished reading 'The Rosemary Tree' also. E. Goudge is a favorite author and I came across that title and realized I had not read it. Thank you again for a bit of England.
Shirley-Ann
Thank you for your kind comments Anne :). The book is 'The Country Diary of An Edwardian Lady' by Edith Holden. It's a beautiful book – one of my favourite – and one that I would recommend for any nature lovers book shelf.