Spring Report

Every year I take photos and post a report on the progress of spring on or around May 1st. This year we were travelling on May 1st, so the photos on that exact day shows the spring progress on Iceland, which varied a lot even within quite short distances.

The photo above was taken at Jökulsàrlon, a lagoon created by a retracting glacier. Icebergs break off the glacier and float round and round in the lagoon till they melt, as the opening is too narrow for them to float out into the ocean. They are quite a sight.

A few miles from the iceberg lagoon, we stopped to look at this old church, – the last one to be built in the old Icelandic manner with turf covered walls and roof. The dandelions were blooming on the roof, sheep and lambs were out and about nearby, so this was infinitely more spring like than the icebergs.

This primrose was blooming on one of the turfed walls of the olde houses in the photo below.

And this low bush similar to pussy willows was also in bloom:

I am not sure what the correct name of this bush would be.

As for the home scene, I will have to make do with before and after photos this year.

The two photos above were taken on April 26th before we left.

And here are the after photos of the same views….

… taken on May 6th.

We seem to have moved backwards into winter instead of forward to spring.

Eldrid

A Lovely Day

What a nice day to be celebrating ones birthday.

The sun has been shining non stop all day, the air has warmed up a bit, the day started with a long and lazy breakfast, two beautiful people said: “I will”  before I hurried to pick up a friend for coffee and cakes at a local cafe, running a few errands, dinner at home on the terrace while enjoying a concert given by the birds, and then being invited to another friend, – who also has her birthday today, – for more coffee and cakes and good company.

My husband sent me beautiful flowers.

Roses and marguerites, which I also had in my wedding bouquet many years ago.

Thank you!

A happy day to be remembered

Eldrid

Nature’s Pearls

. . .  a gift from the fog:

From a walk in the garden on a Saturday morning in May.

Eldrid

Orchid

I mistreated one of my orchids cruelly the other day. While the temperature was barely above freezing, I took it out into the snow to take some pictures of it.

I tried to do it from inside, but there were all kinds of reflections in the window pane, and also the light was poor, so I was not very happy with the resulting photos.

Outside it went like a dream, however, and I got the “white on white” effect I was after. It only took a few minutes, and believe it or not, the orchid is still alive and kicking (- well, – blooming), and it has already been several days since the ordeal.

Then it was on to the computer to play a bit. Maybe add some blur in the background…..

………. and I kind of liked this bluish variation.

Playing around a bit more today, I came up with this:

And here is the bluish version again:

One or both of these could perhaps become a nice fabric design. But first, I’ll have to work some more to get the motifs to tesselate properly, – and maybe do away with the stark white background.

Wow, – this is fun

Eldrid

Heartwarming

Yesterday while I was out, some friends had left this flower arrangement on my front steps.

It is so lovely, and heartwarming.

You know who you are.

Thank you!!

Eldrid

White stuff

The photo below was taken in February, showing a mound of snow hiding our old spirea bush, almost  flattened.  I wondered how many broken branches we would have to cut away after the snow had gone.

As it turned out; none!

As it has often done before, it miraculously rose, all branches intact, and is now starting to bloom.  It surprises me every time.

This was one of the first bushes we planted in our garden more than 30 years ago, – so it is getting on in years, but is still a survivor.

Eldrid

Birthday flowers

A lovely bouquet from my dear husband:

When such a beautiful flower bouquet enters my house, I usually “walk” all over it with my camera, trying to capture as many details as I can.

A friend brought flowers from her garden: narcissus (or is that narcissi) and a cut off branch from her pear tree, which is already in full bloom, – at least two weeks earlier than usual:

Just look at those lovely pear flowers:

Eldrid