Sunshine and smiles

Just two days into April and the sky in north west England has changed from dismal grey to deepest blue so I'm taking my camera on a little wander round our garden. I hope you'll join me.

The pink Camellia blooms are bursting from their buds in rapid succession and are certainly enjoying the warmth of the sun on their faces.

The early flowering heathers have been blooming since January and are always welcome providers of colour during the long dark months of winter.

I love this combination of light mauve and purple produced by two different heathers that have lovingly intertwined over the years.

Primroses grow everywhere in the garden. They thrive in damp places so are spoilt for choice in our wet climate. They love to nestle at the base of stone walls or on mossy banks.

Daffodils are the main players at this time of year and their delicate perfume fills the air on sunny day like this. Clusters of them emerge from the borders and lawns every year without fail. Unfortunately, in their enthusiasm to grow there are often a number of casualties that have been knocked over by wind and rain. So every year I pick the damaged blooms and take them indoors. I have already picked a number by the time I reach this spot.

An avenue of daffs guides us down a long path to the far corner of the garden where we have an area for making and storing compost and a place for a (large) bonfire.

And here we are at that far corner of the garden. The compost area is on the right and the bonfire area just behind me.

Back to the house now to give the damaged daffs I have picked a refreshing drink of cool water. Remember the wall my husband was repairing a few weeks ago? He finished it in record time and the steps are now swept clean and all is tidy again. A splendid job!

And here is a vase of orphaned daffs, I've placed it on the old dresser in the dining room. I love the combination of yellow blooms and blue and white china.

After all the daffs have been put in vases its time to take a quick trip to the local supermarket and I thought you'd like to join me. Past the lake we go with wonderful views over the distant Lake District mountains. Just look at that fresh green hue on the trees, it really lifts the spirits.

And after a short car journey we arrive at the supermarket where I do my weekly shop. Booths is a family firm with a number of stores in north west England. It is of course in direct competition with the big multiples that dominate the British market but despite this is doing rather well; and long may it do so. The supermarket building was once a Victorian station and engine sheds. The buildings were converted in the early 1980s to create a large modern food hall. The current station is now to the left of the car park behind a tall fence....

....and we can see a train just arriving.

I get a few strange looks as I climb on the wall and lean over the fence to get a better picture of this very smart locomotive. Only three carriages but it is sufficient for the area. Most people travel by car these days but the train is well used by the many overseas visitors that come here and of course local people can be whisked away to Manchester and London and all the places in between.

Here we are at the store. I'll leave you outside admiring the pots of brightly coloured polyanthus that are on sale whilst I go inside to pick up a few essentials. 

What a sunny sight we see on the homeward journey; a large patch of celandines growing in our lane beneath the hedge. Like us they are pleased to greet the sun.

There are hundreds of them looking just like little yellow stars in a glossy green sky.

Back home to unpack the groceries and we'll enjoy a welcome mug of tea whilst seeking more information about celandines. This book never lets me down. Its the 'Reader's Digest Field Guide to Wild Flowers' and has hundreds of gorgeous illustrations of British wild flowers with loads of added information. The little yellow flower we saw in the lane is the lesser celandine (ranunculus ficaria). It flowers from February until May, opening fully in the sun and closing when the weather is dull.

The book tells us that Lake District poet William Wordsworth loved the celandine so much that he was moved to write no fewer than three poems about it. In fact his sister Dorothy wrote in her journal (April 1802) that she had to walk endlessly backwards and forwards with William whilst he repeated the first celandine poem to her and he wouldn't give up until it was finished, by which time it was 5 o'clock. She goes on to say that after he'd finished he had to retire with a bad headache... Hardly surprising!!

Here is the first verse from:

The Small Celandine by William Wordsworth

There is a flower, the Lesser Celandine,
That shrinks, like many more, from cold and rain;
And, at the first moment that the sun may shine,
Bright as the sun itself, 'tis out again!

 Until next time
Eli

Comments

[Jenny]

Thank you so much for letting me visit your beautiful garden and countryside. So so lovely. Tell me, is Booth a common name in your area. Only my maiden name is Booth and my father has no idea which part of England his ancestors come from. I would love it if it was somewhere in the north west as it looks beautiful.

[Maggie]

Your garden is absolutely beautiful!
Thank you for sharing the information about Celandines as well as the poem.
I need to learn so much about th flowers here.
xxx
Maggie

[Paula]

Dear Eli,
What a delightful post! I feel as if I have been to your lovely England and enjoyed a day with you! Your garden is simply beautiful and reminds me of the gardens I see in The English Garden magazine!

The pink Camellia blooms, heather, primroses and daffs are all so beautiful! Oh, and look at that blue sky! I am so very happy you enjoyed a gorgeous sunny day! I would love to walk through your garden with you!

Your husband did a wonderful job with the repairs, and your home is so lovely! The yellow blooms do go perfectly with the blue and white china.

I enjoyed seeing the incredibly beautiful Lake District. Oh, how I know you love living there! How sweet of you to take us on your outing. The Celandine's are lovely and so cheerful looking. I love your wildflower book, it is beautiful and your tea mug is, too! Thank you for sharing your day dear Eli!
Love, Paula

[Sabine]

Dear Eli!
Wonderful, your garden and I love your blog. I`m a child of the fifties, our children are grown up and our mothers become old. We are in the middle of generations - and we more and more thinking about our childhood and youth. I foung your post at "Little Jenny Wren".
Kind regards, Sabine

[Redwood House]

Hi Eli, what a wonderful garden you do have, you have some lovely large mature shrubs and 'got to wander along there' pathways, I really enjoyed the tour and would love another sometime please. To have the lake so close is wonderful do you use it at all I wonder!!
Booths sounds a nice place to shop so good to hear of an independant holding its own against the biggies isn't it.
The sun is shinning here this morning but we did have a light frost, I think I will do a little carding and then make my daughter (who arrived home yesterday from uni for easter)a stew which she is apparently craving! and then get out in the garden this afternoon and tackle some more weeds. I am winning now thankfully, so may do a tour of our little cottage garden sometime soon. Your daffs are beautiful mine were rubbish this year I think I must have dug a load up last autumn when I had a bit of a move around of things.
Bye for now
Jan

[Rachel]

Wow, your garden is gorgeous! So much color and the daffodils are just beautiful! I love the knitted pattern too! I would love to link to it if you don't mind.

[michele]

Hello Eli..
Sorry I have become a bit of a stranger to your blog.. Time is scarcer than ever these days..
It is lovely to visit you again and see your beautiful photos.. as ever!
Ranunculus are my favourites.. though more so the tissue paper flowers of the cultivated kind..
I do however have a few of the yellow Celandines in the garden and they shine out..
Wishing you a very Happy Easter..
Love
Michele xx

[Rhondi]

Hi Eli
I have lots of celandine in my garden. I love the bright yellow color and it spreads so rapidly I that I now have large patches of it all over the place.
Happy Easter.
Rhondi

[Selia]

Dear Eli,
Your garden is just absolutely breath-taking! I have been away for a while and I have been catching up and reading all of your lovely posts. I was in your beautiful country last month and would have loved to come by your beautiful Lake District for a visit. Time did not allow and we stayed mostly in the south of England. It is beautiful also. Thank you so much for all that you share!
Blessings,
Selia