A Sense of Spring

It seems that almost every blog I have read today talks of Spring. Spring is in the air! Others are going through difficult times. I just wanted to share this beautiful Orchid with you. It is Spring inside as well as out. My daughter bought this orchid for Mother's Day last year and this is how it looks today, almost a year on. No, it has not stayed in flower all that time, I have been nurturing it in the hope that it would grow another flower and as you see it has.

Once the flower had faded last year I put it on a windowledge in good light, but not full sun. I cut the old stem back to the base and watered it once a week taking care to let it drain well before putting it back in it's pot. As soon as there was evidence of new growth I then watered it once a week with All Purpose Miracle-Grow added to the water. This is the result.

As for Spring I love it. The sense of newness and rebirth. The birds singing. The daffodills and crocuses and the new buds on the trees and shrubs. Spring is in the air - I can sense it, smell it, and of course see it. Very different to Autumn which I love too. Autumn brings a definite mellowness that is not there in the vibrance of Spring. I can hear Autumn too - don't know how, but I can and there is a stillness there that is not evident any other time.

Oliver's baby wardrobe

Here are just a few of the things that I have knitted for this dear little Grandson of mine who is now 7 months old.

This was the first thing that I knitted for my daughter. I began this pram blanket as soon as Janie got married almost 8 years ago. I just figured that at some time she would have a child. During the childless years that followed I had plenty of time to knit. Obviously not knowing what sex my Grandchild would be I had to knit things that would suit either although deep down I felt she would have a boy.

The first size cardigans came next.

Then these.


The first unisex pramset.


This one was going to have pink embroidery if it was a girl and the next one pink flowers on the pockets instead of blue.

This next one was knitted from wool left over from some of the others and by this time I was knitting for the beautiful boy that was already born.

Well I don't know if he got to wear them all, we have had a particularly warm Winter and the Summer was hot. Added to this he was bought so many cute outfits by his Mum and friends and family. Still, I enjoyed knitting them and maybe next time will be a Winter baby.

To Prune the shrubs or springclean?

In the midst of trying to make some headway with the beginning of my spring-cleaning (it takes me ages as I go through all cupboards and drawers at the same time in order to de-clutter) I have instead this week been working in my garden. We have had weeks of torrential rain and it has not been possible to really get stuck into the pruning.

The above picture shows some of my shrubs during the Summer and this is what I am again looking forward to. I am a strong believer in hard pruning at this time of year, except for the flowering shrubs that are pruned immediately after flowering.

So I am afraid the spring cleaning has been put on hold for the next rainy day which is forecast for the day after tomorrow. After all the rain our garden has been under water. This always amazes me as we live on a hill. Where we have been trampling on the wet ground while working part of the lawn is at present a sea of mud. Looks horrible but as Alan keeps saying, "It will come back" and yes it does recover. So at present my choice seems to be "dust" or "mud".

Leigh-on-Sea and The Oscars

As many people know, this last week the Oscars have been won by Dame Helen Mirren. Helen I am told was born in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex and there have been various comments about this in the media. For myself, Leigh is one of my favourite local places, local being about 20 miles away.

The picture above was taken on a cold Autumn evening which is why it is so quiet and isolated. During the summer months there are hoards of people sitting drinking and eating seafood, etc and enjoying the sea air.

This is my watercolour impression with a little artistic licence.

This is the old town where one will find places to eat and drink, art and craft gallery, craft shop, museum and right at the end a very small beach where one can swim. There is also a quayside where fishing boats offload their catch. A little to the West is an area known as the cockle sheds and this is where most of the fishing boats offload and where fresh fish can be bought to take home.

However, this is only a small part of Leigh. There is the main town where one will find the largest collection of individual and exclusive shops that I have ever come across. Everything you could think of including many art and craft shops. Enough for them to have an Art Trail last Autumn where there were about 50 locations open to visit and buy or just browse. Then there is Two Tree Island. A bird sanctuary out in the Thames Estuary reached by road and bridge from Leigh. This is my favourite place in the area. We are so fortunate in that we have friends who live at the top of the cliffs who allow us to stay in their home when they go away and this is the view from a few yards in front of their home. I have many photographs of Leigh to share in the future but for now here is one of my favourite. It is taken early evening when the tide is out and the late sun and sky formed this beautiful picture which has not been touched up in any way. It is part of the ever changing scenery in this beautiful spot.

I hope you have enjoyed your short trip to Leigh and I will be taking you to visit again in the future.

The Duck Family

Do you like my little duck family? I knitted these for Grandson Oliver so they now belong to him.

Oliver and Grandad

I think this photo deserves a caption

Winter to Spring

Viburnum - Winter flowering evergreen

I was looking at my Winter garden and longing for Spring but know that longing for Spring has me missing out on today.

I was about to get on with some spring cleaning and de-cluttering when I decided to go for a walk. I had planned to do this all day but the weather was so changeable. During a break in the clouds I grabbed my coat and went. I got as far as the brow of the hill in my very local park when the sky went black and the heavens opened. I was only yards into my walk but decided not to turn back as I was aware that there were good lessons to be learned here.

The rain came down and I felt the hailstones bouncing off my head and the wind so strong and blustery that I felt I could be blown over. The park was desserted, not surprising in the circumstances, but I continued on my journey. I thought how I would like my life to be one of striding out between the showers but where would that get me and what would that teach me?

In the midst of the storm I saw how the hailstones did hit me but they bounced off and fell to the ground and melted. Just like the darts of the enemy that hit us hard. They hurt but as we continue on in faith they bounce off and disintegrate on the ground. Not because of any goodness and cleverness in us but because of the one within us as we journey on in the Spirit.

Just as I arrived home the sun came out. After Alan saying that he had been wondering if I had found any shelter, he asked if I had seen the rainbow. Well, no I had not seen the rainbow, I had been walking in the direction where I had my back to it. But, even though I did not see it, it was still there and I had all the shelter I needed journeying in God's presence. Thank you Lord for such a glorious illustration.