WELCOME TO Val's Alentejo -I write about my region of Alentejo. My art ,painting, my cottages, Family life, my animals -Travels And my love for Roses- and rural country life.

Sunday 24 February 2013

starting on the spring garden

I am slowly getting back to normal around the Quinta. 
Even though its been raining most of the week and our temperatures have dropped. 
Mr. Sun peeped his head out of the sky to say hello today.
Thoughts of impending spring and all the lovely activities that go with it, came to my mind.
I have bulbs to plant.. seeds to sew and flower beds to prepare.
While I was away.. Dear Pedro, who helps around the garden , has already started the clearing up process. 
I gave a skip and a hop as I walked around this morning. 

                                                            Lililies to plant
                                                           Blue skies overhead
                                                My first daffodills /narcissus
                                    So beautiful in the morning sun.  I dont have enough. and hope I might be able to get more in this week and have a better show.. if not, I will for next year.  I read somewhere, that daffodils are 'lent lillies'- that is why their heads bow down with the breeze.  A reminder that fasting will soon be at an end.! and Easter will be here.
                                          Part of the my entrance all looking neat and trim.  I hope to take out the blue concrete 'thing'.. i dont like it anymore. I think Jeffrey agrees with me.
                                           The pepper trees all nicely trimmed..  Pete's path ready for the new garden at the side... Pete left yesterday... I was a little sad to see an old family friend leave.

 The first time I ever saw a daffodil, I must have been about 6 or 7 years old. My parents booked a holiday in Wales on a working farm. The fields were full of yellow and white daffodils.. thousands of them. I never forgot that sight.  It was like a magic carpet of yellow. 


                                    I took this photo at the entrance to' Leath barn', while on my workshop.   in Somerton... you can just make out the whole of the grass on the edge is full of daffodils some ready to bloom.
                 I WONDERED LONLEY AS A CLOUD
                 THAT FLOATS ON HIGH O'RE VALES AND HILLS
                 WHEN ALL AT ONCE I SAW A CROWD, A HOST , OF GOLDEN
                 DAFFODILS; BESIDE THE LAKE, BENEATH THE TREES,
                  FLUTTERING AND DANCING IN THE BREEZE.
               
               
       We can all remember learning this at school.    I think its such a touching poem.  It gives me the feeling of hope .. that life has so much to offer us.  That we must enjoy today for today.
I end my dear friends, by saying :-  That is just what I did.

I hope that your last Sunday in February was a good one for you all.

Val

19 comments:

  1. nothing better than spring fever - and i don't even garden. :)

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    1. I am sure I would feel the same too Tex. garden or no garden , cant wait for some sunny warm days.
      x

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  2. Beautiful photos of your garden Val
    you will certainly be busy now that the
    weather is improving for you and I'm glad that
    you had a skip and a hop when you walked around this morning!

    I love the daffodil poem it is one of my favourites.

    Have a good week my friend.

    x Fiona


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    1. Thanks Fiona,
      I am sorry that i didnt plant more last season to give more of a show this year.. i will still attempt to plant more.
      I had a lovely day today. Lunch with my D.in L and two of my grandchildren.

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  3. It's beautiful,Val. Love your daffodils and the poem.

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    1. Hello Sylvia..
      thank you for your sweet comments.. I too love the poem.

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  4. Dear Val,

    I was delighted to read your last two posts about your Norwich travel and course!
    I have been thinking about you. How good to be there and do something you love : )
    I like your flower watecolours
    and the fact that spring a almost there at your garden

    It has been +5C today and sunny so we have got a taste of spring here too!

    lots of love

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    1. Thank you Dear Demie,
      how great to see you.
      I have missed out on some posts.. am catching up
      I loved Norfolk
      Ahh its getting warmer for you too.
      spring is in the air..love xxx

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  5. I love daffodils too. Being from Wales and them being our emblem - I remember that on the 1st March during our early school years we would wear our daffodil with pride to school.
    June

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  6. You have just reminded me that it is the last Sunday in February - where has the month gone to?
    The wall you showed is so typically Norfolk, the attractive combination of flint stone work complimented by the redbrick work makes such a lovely feature in the countryside around that area.
    Lovely to see the daffodils opening up, I can see the yellow on ours now - a couple of days of sun and we shall be in daffodil land.

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    1. It was only when i thought 'what date is it today'.. i sometimes loose track of the dates. upon looking at the calendar, i saw it was the last sunday of the month..
      I totally agree.. where has february gone. I cant keep up with it all ):
      I loved the wall.. its inspired me to do something with the pebbles or the flint stone!
      here around the garden..
      looking forward to seeing your daffodils. I love them very much.
      Some of the ladies on the course painted exquisite daffodil art.. I am just a learner.
      lovely to have some sun today.

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  7. Oh your daffodils are so beautiful, Val, and I also love that poem. My first, heart-stopping sight of masses of daffodils was quite recent, only 5 years ago, when I visited England in February/March. I was thrilled to bits! They are such a happy, lovely, yellow flower. Happy days!

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  8. Dear Val ,it is nice that your garden is already ready to accept the spring ! Ι saw the daffodils year ago in England and then when i came here I bought so many !I love too them !Every year they blooming and after this they die !

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  9. Oh, your post today is so uplifting, Val! I long for spring and wish the snow would finally all melt away and the bulbs would start to blossom. You must be sad to have your painting trip over, but happy to be home and eager to start working in your beautiful garden. Only 23 more days until Spring arrives!

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  10. Hi Val. your garden's looking good and I love the daffodils. I can't wait for Easter, it's a lovely time of year and hopefully warmer too. Have a great week.
    Patricia x

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  11. It feels like Spring visiting you today! I too learnt that lovely poem while at school and the memory of it has stayed with me since.
    Sarah x

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  12. I can remember learning The Daffodils at Middle School, in Italy, Val. I can see the daffodil buds peeping through the grass, at Somerton. Flint is the local stone,here. On the coast and here where I live all the old cottages are covered in beautiful round flint stoned.

    It's been very cold here, but my magnolia (a huge tree) is full of buds, ready to burst. They are blood read and beautiful.

    I didn't realize we had been fasting, Val! I just had a delicious KitKat chocolate bar!

    I love your daffodils. I bought some wonderful pink tiger lilies and some white ones to be planted in our gardens in Italy. It's exciting, though I look forward to planting cacti, some Bouganvilleas and all the typical Mediterranean plants.

    I see you are quickly settling into your routine. That's good, Val, and I'm glad you had a lovely break.

    BUONA NOTTE AMICA MIA.

    CIAO!

    ANNA

    xx

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  13. Val Hello how are you? I have already piantao my spring bulbs before winter last year and now I have stopped because my garden is too wet. The earth is too full of water so I have to wait a little longer. also my garden is unfortunately in very bad conditions. I just have to wait for it to dry a little. I must also tell you that really envy your ability to fly and also be able to take pictures, I flew only once to go to Barcelona and I do not know yet because I have not had a heart attack. I have a terror of the plane, but I can not go on like sec travel. But how do you?
    Lots of greetings from Rome, Francesca

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  14. What a wonderful post. Daffodils make me giddy! Their cheerful color and glorious scent...I would love to see a field of them.

    Jen

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