Saturday 20 February 2010

Fashionably Early?

Does anyone else think this guy is a little early to the party? Apparently Skimmia flower April – May.



Perhaps he needs to go back to bed for a little while…


Sweetbox perfume was also very welcome in the lovely warming **sunshine…

**Shame it was freeeeezing in the shade…

I managed a good 30 minutes out in the garden with only my top on before I came inside, although to be honest I came back in because I ran out of things to photograph.



It’s amazing how different the sun levels now are compared to last weekend, the sun is now hitting the garden and also streaming into the lower levels of the house… Of course this could’ve been happening for a while now but every weekend has been too cloudy for me to realise.

It also explains why the bulbs have all suddenly shot up :)

28 comments:

Northern Beauty Seeker said...

Ah, the soft promise of spring! Your little blooms make me dream of warmer days to come. Lovely!

Rebecca @ In The Garden said...

What beautiful buds, you're so lucky to have them already. :)

Kyna said...

So pretty, love the lighting in those photos :D

Bangchik and Kakdah said...

Your beautiful flowers make me feel like going to Tono's Nursery looking for a similar creamy look flowering plants!! Such a beauty. ~bangchik

Cheryl said...

Hi Liz...the skimmia is very early. Is that the one you bought last week? If it is, it may have been kept in a warmer sheltered spot and forced the plant......

Sweet box.....your photographs show the beauty of the fragile little flowers. Sometimes if you breath warm air on the blooms, you can get a sudden wiff of the lovely fragrance.......

Have a fun Sunday......

Liz said...

Hi Ms.S,

Thanks for visiting my blog :)

Yesterday really was wonderful, the sun was very cheerful and really lifted spirits...

Shame this morning I've woken to 3'' or so of snow!

Not happy.

Liz said...

Hi Rebecca,

Thanks, it's definitely been a strange year... Some plants very early but others are nowhere to be seen.

Liz said...

Hi Kyna,

Thanks, I'm glad you liked them :)
Lighting is not always so easy at this time of year... Harsh and low doesn't usually make for good shots!

Liz said...

Hi Bangchik,

Glad you liked the photos, thrilled I've inspired someone to go out and buy something similar!

Liz said...

Hi Cheryl,

Yep the Skimmia is the one I bought, it could well have been forced... Sadly the flowers are probably ruined now thanks to heavy snow on them.

Thanks for the tip with the sweetbox fragrance, no doubt the sun was warming the flowers and making the scent rise into the air to greet me.

Fun Sunday?? Mmmmm, the only fun I'll be having will be making another snowman (maybe, it's worn off a little now though, not so fun!)

Yoke, said...

Super photos, Liz.

I guess that the cold temperatures recently meant that a relatively 'warm' spell/day had it thinking "yaye, it's spring!"
(just like what you feel in the Sun.

3rd picture is my favourite I think.

Like the new look of the blog; easier to read too,with a better contrast.

Yoke, said...

Sorry, I meant photo number two! Silly me.
Love yoke.

ShySongbird said...

Lovely photos Liz! I suspect it has been forced. I hope the snow doesn't do too much damage.

As for going into the garden bottomless!! well! such behaviour :)

Liz said...

Hi Yoke,

It should be Spring by now, so I can understand why it would be confused, even with the snow it is relatively warm outside... ha ha, compared to the past few weeks anyway!
If there wasn't snow on the ground I'd likely be outside right now, it's sunny and very pretty.

I had planned to get Lily of the Valley planted today, no such luck now though, they desperately need to get in the ground - they're beginning to grow in their bag...

Liz said...

Hi Jan,

I have brushed the snow off the Skimma to minimise the damage but we'll have to see... It's too dangerous outside, the snow is odd, can't walk on it without it collapsing, none of the usual compacting in to hard snow!

Lol, I haven't been out bottomless... Just no socks on (with a dressing gown over my Pj's, no one can see me doing it! Mmm in theory I could go out naked... Perhaps not, wouldn't want to scare the wildlife!)

Sue Swift said...

Yes , we,ve noticed a difference this weekend too. But nothing like the blooms you've got. How odd that Sheffield should be ahead of milan ...

Muhammad khabbab said...

Ah i am so jealous. I do not have neither skimmia not sweetbox. but i love the photos. You have done excellent job taking the shots, did the true justice to the beauty.

Liz said...

Hi Sue,

Very strange indeed! I wonder if the summer will also be warmer than Milan... Ha ha, perhaps not :)

Liz said...

Hi Muhammad,

I'm glad you liked the photos :)

I'm having difficulty with them at the moment because we recently got new PC's at work and now the photos look different at work to at home... Making me worry which is correct!

Previously both the work monitor and my laptop showed photos as being the same shade/tone/saturation.

Now, which isn't calibrated correctly?????

Purrfect Haven said...

seems a bit early, yes. gardening in just a top must mean your legs are cold! Great posts and photos. Thanks. Helen [www.happinesskindled.blogspot.com]

Liz said...

Hi Helen,

Ha, indeed... Perhaps I ought to have written 'It was warm enough to go out without a jumper or coat'

I guess that too could be taken the wrong way... :)

Emma Bond said...

These photos are lush Liz.x

Esther Montgomery said...

Plants don't know what they are doing.

Bulbs have shot for three days.

Esther

Nutty Gnome said...

Hi Liz - gorgeous photos my sweet - even if you were running round the garden half naked to take them!!!

Erm, ....hate to break it to you, but it's snowing again here and it's heading your way!

Liz said...

Hi Emma,

Thanks, thrilled you liked them Emma :)

Liz said...

Hi Esther,

I don’t think anything knows what it’s doing at the moment with the crazy weather…

It’ll stop soon… I hope! *touch wood*

Liz said...

Hi Liz,

Thankies very much :) well you know… maybe I ought to change my blog title to ‘Getting Naked with Gwirrel’, or perhaps ‘the Naked Gardener’???

That’ll certainly get my blog noticed!!! Lol.

Imagine the scandal when people find out I’m not actually naked… I’d be hated nationally. Ooooh, I think we’re onto something here :)

Yes snow… I shall try not to grump about the snow any longer… It was fun walking down our hill this morning in a thin layer of slushy ice… Mmm.
Although the orange thing in the sky has just had a sly attempt at coming out!

Carolyn Parker said...

Adorable Liz. Yay light!