The sound and smell of Spring...

....at La Pouyette



It's budding

 It's blooming

It buzzes and hums

It chirps and warbles 

It's Spring!

Trumpet flower 'Front barn'

*

Our next-door-neighbour's Lilac

*


Fig tree and Trumpet flower 'Back wall'

 Apple tree

*

Spiraea

*

Clematis Montana

*

Black tulips amongst  Lamiaceae (spearmint leaves)

*

*

White Lilac

The whole garden is filled with tender fragrances....

*

Judas tree

*



Choisya ternata - Mexican Orange

 

***
*

While creating this post I listen to:

***

**
*


Salvia officinalis

*

 *

Hydrengea and Peonies

*

 Chinese grass

*

"something growing wild"

*

First Rose blossoms...

"Back wall"

*

"Harlekin"

*
Very hard pruned 4 weeks ago...

Now - what a difference a few weeks made....

"Premature Spring"

DAYS full of rapture,
Are ye renew'd ?--
Smile in the sunlight
Mountain and wood?

Streams richer laden
Flow through the dale,
Are these the meadows?
Is this the vale?
Coolness cerulean!
Heaven and height!
Fish crowd the ocean,
Golden and bright.

Birds of gay plumage
Sport in the grove,
Heavenly numbers
Singing above.
Under the verdure's
Vigorous bloom,
Bees, softly bumming,
Juices consume.

Gentle disturbance
Quivers in air,
Sleep-causing fragrance,
Motion so fair.

Soon with more power
Rises the breeze,
Then in a moment
Dies in the trees.
But to the bosom
Comes it again.

Aid me, ye Muses,
Bliss to sustain!
Say what has happen'd
Since yester e'en?
Oh, ye fair sisters,
Her I have seen!

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 1802

*

...."Every year again"....



....the Tree Peonies....

*



*



Blossoms in the size of 9" diameter!



*



***
**
*

*

My "Chinese Beauty"

*



*

*

 

*

It's budding - It's blooming!

It buzzes and hums - It chirps and warbles....!

*

Apropos chirping and warbling,

since last Monday a little Birdie is trying to build a nest..

..on top of one of the lime stone pilasters next to the entrance door. 

Every day I find on the steps piles of moss and sticks....

...some of them in the size of nearly 10" long!

Cleaning up the mess every day....

but he/she is determined,

determined to build a nest right up there!

Because the top of the pilaster is only about 3" deep
and because of a lot of wind during the week - 
no chance so far!

This is a 6-Day-collection of moss and sticks and..whatsoever
A large pile!  Enough for at least 10 nests!




One should think that he/she would take the "building material" from this pile,
 but NO!

The little chap is bringing/adding even more -
 I discovered - again - this morning!!!
  
 I wonder when the "giving-up" will be happen...

***
**
*

It's budding.... 
 

Iris Germanica



It's blooming...

...and we are more than 
CONTENT !

Spring greetings to all of you!

A bientôt....

***
*

Oh - By the way.....

I SAW the Cuckoo !!!!

A few days ago - while sitting in the living room
 thinking, looking through the windows, 
thinking how to organize further garden work,
suddenly a bird arrived, settling down in the lime tree
which is situated next to one of the large windows.

A bird which I have not seen so far at our place.

So, it's sitting there, looking around....for what?
Have not had my camera in hand...could not move....
but it was certainly an or "our" Cuckoo!

Looked exactly like this one:

just a bit more "fat"....

Here is what I found on info on the internet:

Mangrove Cuckoo Coccyzus minor

 Cuculiforme Order - Cuculidae Family

 here

Is our Cuckoo a Mangrove Cuckoo?????
Weird! 
But - believe me - it was a Cuckoo!
And I have seen it!!!