Today’s guest picture shows the Cave of Drac on Majorca. Dropscone visited it while on holiday on the island. He got to listen to a concert while he was there.
We had to agree with T S Eliot today. The weather was very cruel. If I went out on my bicycle, it rained and if Mrs Tootlepedal hung out the washing it rained and if we left the washing out in the hope that it would dry after the shower had passed, it rained again just as we were thinking of getting it in.
And then when it had got fed up with raining, it started to hail very heavily.
Finally, when all hope was lost we got this….
…followed by a calm and beautiful evening, unfortunately too late to be of practical use to anyone.
Under the circumstances, Mrs Tootlepedal did an amazing amount of gardening, well wrapped against the cruel wind and I at least got a few miles in on the slow bike before the combination of wind and rain got so discouraging that I packed it in.
The weather made sure it was a rather itty-bitty day but I did find a sunny moment to have another go at the violets.
They require a good deal of crouching which is not my strongest point.
Even on a cold and soggy day, Mrs Tootlepedal’s heart is lifted by tulips….
…and as they are coming out all over the garden, she should find some consolation in the days to come.
The daffodils give me a lot of pleasure and here is the daffodil of the day.
And I think that this is definitely a colourful corner and I hope that there will be many more to come.
I didn’t take any pictures on my cycle ride as I had to have a rain cape on and every time that I thought of getting at the camera out from underneath it, it started to rain again.
The battle against the wind left me feeling my age a bit and so I had a gentle time for the rest of the day, with a short snooze on my bed included.
I did manage to keep an eye on the birds though and noted that some but not all of the siskins were back.
It was their turn to queue up for the feeder…
…and they defended their position vigorously when they got there.
They were not immune from outside attack themselves though.
Once again, redpolls maintained an observer status.
The weather improved enough for me to be able to walk dryshod to my Langholm Sings choir practice, the last regular practice before our concert on Saturday, though we will have a go with the orchestra in the afternoon before the show.
We worked through the whole programme with the result that we got a lot of enjoyable singing in. We are doing mostly familiar material and it is gratifying to find that some things which I found very hard to get right a few years ago seem miraculously to have got easier. You are never too old to learn.
The flying bird of the day is one of the redpolls.
Your garden is such a picture, a delight to look at your photographs. Glad the choir practice was so enjoyable.
The colourful corner is absolutely gorgeous!
It’s great to see all the spring flowers.
The garden is looking absolutely beautiful. I can’t think of a single thing that I would add to it.
That’s a great shot of the rainbow. I rarely see them here and when I do I don’t have a camera.
I rushed to get mine in the nick of time.
If you ever want a gardening adventure please come and visit – you would relish the challenge of this bedraggled five acres I’m sure.
5 acres might be a bit too much, even for Mrs T
Slowly, slowly…we are heading into the spring of flowers, manageable soil and planting more bulbs and flowers, while chasing off hungry rabbits with chili powder, in hopes we can maybe salvage roses, honey suckle and a small Japanese maple.
Aaaargh! rabbits!!!
Wonderful double rainbow!
Loved the picture of the redpoll at the feeder. Glad you enjoyed your singing and found it was getting easier.
Thanks so much for these photos. I know they can be a struggle, but they are so inspiring– much appreciated!
As is your kind comment.
Raining here in Maine and much needed. We are even beginning to see signs of green on what passes for a lawn in our shady yard.
Good.
The corner of the garden is very colorful, and a real treat to see!
The nice things about seeing the birds at your feeder are that I get all the enjoyment of watching the birds in action, and I don’t have to pay for the seed to fill the feeder. 😉
I don’t grudge the expense. I get a lot of value for my money. 🙂
What a picture- what a photograph…those daffodils! Such a delight to see and a fitting reward for all the planting! The tulips are still keeping their lips shut until they can fill their cups with sunshine …I think you’ll be waiting some more days before that happens.
They opened today. Hurrah!
The violets are beautiful! I sometimes put the blooms in salads for color.
I’m not the least bit fond of caves, but listening to a concert in one might be something special. April certainly has been the cruellest month! (also TS Eliot). Perhaps we’ll soon be getting all those May flowers. 😀
I am getting ready to cast a clout.
I was going to comment on the Redpoll but the idea of you casting a clout has rendered me temporarily speechless…
The long johns have long gone and I have trembly knees as a result.
It’s not a mental picture I want to dwell on.
Glad the hail did not wreck your flowers.
It was mercifully brief.