A few catch up photos

Warning! If you are of a delicate disposition, avoid the last image!

While waiting for some of these photos to upload to Blogger, I was having a cup of tea and gazing out of the window. I was admiring the sunlight catching the tiny new fragile blossoms of the two small ornamental cherry trees/bushes (prunus incisa Kojo-no-mai) that I bought last year. And lo and behold the largest bumble bee landed on them. I raced for the camera and tried to catch a shot before he thrummed off elsewhere. So big, and so early.

I hadnt noticed this patch of moss before. Its in the fork of the rowan tree where I hang the bird feeders. How long had it been there I wonder? I am usually too busy watching the birds!

This is the lovely clematis armandii that LLF bought me for my birthday last year. I am thrilled that it is so vigorous, and has such lovely flowers so early on in the year.

Just across from the house and down by the river, the breeze tosses the young willow branches.

A little indulgence buy at the local garden centre! All will naturalise, I hope under the trees. Cyclamen, primrose, crocus, hellbores, and a windflower (anemone blanda) We had one, but it didnt come up in its usual place this year where it had seeded itself. So I am helping Nature along a little!

A small primrose has established a foothold at the base of our drive wall.

LLF came to visit, with a wonderful Maison Blanc chocolate cake, very like a Sacher Torte. Yum!

Another food photo! YD (Youngest Daughter) and I tried the new place in town for lunch. It specialises in various teas - green, black, herbal, iced, gourmet. But we had toasted sandwiches (Emmental cheese and tomato) and coffee!

The same crocuses closed early morning, then open in full sun later on in the day.

A tub of red dwarf tulips.

My first patch of hellebores. They have spread so well in the last couple of years that I have bought some more. This first plant was a gift. How nice to see their faces, normally they seem shy and always look to the floor.

This isnt quite such a gentle image, but it does represent nature. We had stopped by the organic farm shop in a lovely valley, just over the hill from us. And a sparrow hawk had caught what looks like a dove. I dont know whose it was. But it made a meal for a hungry hawk - who had to eat it then and there as it was far too heavy to lift into the air. Ive been in Iona and seen a female sparrow hawk lift a starling away, but this was a more plump meal.