Spring at Last!

Spring is well and truly here, we have come to the end of March and it's nearly Easter and it's that time of year when we have those beautiful displays of bright crocuses and yellow daffodils popping up everywhere. It's that time with the longer days and lighter nights when everything in the garden starts to wake up again and there is one display of flowers after another through the rest of the year. 

Sunny yellow daffodils are always a welcome sight, brightening up the garden - they usually arrive around the time when we've just tidied up the garden after the winter and cut the lawn for the first time in months. Suddenly the garden looks set and ready for the growing season and full of promise for the enjoyable days outside in summer. 

I always associate the vibrant colours of the spring flowers with Easter time: yellows, purples, pinks and white - early colour before the summer's vivid displays. 

The daffodil blooms always coincide with the busy activity of the birds too. Suddenly the dawn chorus is getting louder and the birds in the garden are hypnotic to watch. Blue tits and great tits are coming in and out of the nesting boxes and the feeders are being emptied by greenfinches, robins, long tail tits, chaffinches and goldfinches - even the blackbirds are flapping around them eager to join in, but they struggle to balance and are a sight to watch! The pond is full of frogs and their spawn and you can see it bubbling with activity too. 

It's an exciting and promising time in the garden - enjoy it! Here's wishing eveyone a very happy and enjoyable Easter holiday! 

Spring Flowers at Chippenham Park

We have had quite a lot of sunshine recently and suddenly spring seems to be nearly here at last. We visited Chippenham Park near Ely and found some glorious displays of spring flowers. The park has one of the greatest displays of snowdrops, hellebores and aconites in East Anglia. 

There are circa 330 acres of parkland, including a lake, kitchen garden and tea rooms, formal gardens, woodland walks, canals and rose borders.

Wander along the pretty woodland walks and you will come upon spendid swathes of snowdrops, which carpet the woodland floor and give stunning views. Cross the lawned areas and you will find crocus displays and magnificent groups of aconites mixed with snowdrops. Alongside the lake pathways are clumps of hellobores and snowdrops reflecting in the water.

There are stunning arrays of spring flowers and colour here: shades of white, yellows and purples. They are an uplifting sight after the dark nights and short days of winter. It's as if the flowers suddenly pierce all the gloom of January and February, standing tall against the elements and heralding the start of change. Just as we feel ready for a change, Spring begins to find its way for us. 

Chippenham Country Park