My week

Tulip time in the garden and time to bring out the solar powered garden water feature during this week of sunshine. 

The ''black' parrot tulip bulbs planted in the Autumn are beginning to open their flower heads. Of course, they're not true black, but dark purple.

A box of delights arrived - an Easter gift from son and family.

Another peace lily has flowered. It was one of the baby plants from an original that got re-potted last year brought to us by our Berkshire daughter.

Daughter D and I regularly exchange photos of what is growing in our gardens, by email. Below are the white hyacinths and varieties of tulip blooming in pots in her garden.

This week Daughter D crocheted a mauve shawl with daisy pattern for a Berkshire group. (The pile of blankets is a photo taken from their Facebook page).  There was a call out from them (Wokingham in Need, who in different ways support the homeless and anyone in need) for those who can knit, crochet or sew to make items, especially blankets and shawls.  These items are given to those receiving care in a hospital or a hospice or other setting.

The fig tree is not in leaf, but there is plenty of other greenery in the garden.

Thank you for your visit.  I hope you have a peaceful and safe weekend.

Joining Riitta's Friday Bliss # 84 linkup

P.S. I've noticed that some photos on this blog post uploaded and then were lost overnight so I've had to re-do them. I'm not sure why this is happening.  Older blog posts have the same issue. It's another Blogger technical fault to solve.

From a different perspective

This is our view across a valley from our back bedroom window.  The large cherry tree fills our picture window view downstairs.  It's tantalising to see the pink ornamental cherry blossom in another neighbour's garden. I want to get a better look at these surroundings.

The cherry tree taken with the zoom lens on maximum.

Very early this morning I brought in the bottles of fresh milk delivered by the milkman - we are also getting loaves of bread, eggs and potatoes from him too, which is a great help and we'll continue doing so when or if we get back to 'a normal situation'.

Whilst I was in the front garden I took a few photos.

A garden bench is in the front garden at the moment.  Our local grandson came through the side gates and put it there so that when he and our daughter visit on a Sunday afternoon they have somewhere to sit whilst we talk to them well back in the front entrance hall.  Thank goodness for the dry weather at the moment although we did have a shower of rain late Sunday afternoon - good for the plants. Anything they bring gets wiped down and then goes into quarantine. Grandson S and daughter brought us chocolate rabbit and donkey and the blown eggs that they had decorated, (below). What a strange existence at the moment, but necessary for our own good! 

So that was our Easter Sunday family face-to-face visit.  The other members of the family spoke by ordinary phone calls or a video link which we're only getting used to doing.  Yesterday, after all this strangeness I felt very tired and slept most of the afternoon.

Today I feel better. After taking the photos in the front garden I nipped to the side of the house to take some more photos.  We haven't been out beyond the front garden for weeks so it felt odd just walking down the lane by our own garden wall. There are only two side gardens opposite the high stone wall with a high fence along most of this stretch before it goes around the corner of the crescent so it's secluded.

There are overhanging trees.  It looks like Senior Blackbird was an early bird too.

I could see the big cherry tree with the white blossom from a different angle and also the pink one

The lilac is beginning to come into bud, but still not fully open.

There are clumps of a pink and yellow variety of toadflax (?) and succulents

growing in the cracks on the stone wall.

Back in our covered yard and back garden some more gardening
is the plan for the rest of the morning.

Have a good day whatever you're doing.

Easter weekend

Sunrise Easter morning 2020

It's a stay-at-home Easter weekend this year.

 Hot cross buns were eaten for breakfast on Good Friday,

the message and meaning of Easter quietly thought about,

 Easter decorations arranged on Easter Saturday.

Today our family will be greeting one another

 by face-to face video phone link and landline telephone.

May your day be a peaceful and special one filled with hope and love.