Our daffs are in bud and growing nicely but not ready yet. No grape hyacinths yet ( we're always later than more southerly folk )
I'm in coastal S.W. Scotland. The lone daffodil sentinel faces due south in S.E. facing front garden. Pots of mini daffs (all scented) + pot of grape hyacinths are there too. A few blue chionodoxa in the rockery have flowered. There should be masses of them soon. Tight buds on daffs in western, part shaded back garden.
Several pots of tall daffs in big pots in a front garden further along street.
I should plant more yellow and blue crocus + more yellow daffs in front garden + replace old tulips in pots. Winter/early spring colour scheme in front garden is blue & yellow. That colour combination is uplifting. Ceanothus is the only blue-flowered shrub left. My hebe collection included one which bloomed in winter.
Bought a local newspaper, published today, at the little shop. A former district councillor for my ward is in an article about help for Ukrainian refugees. She belongs to a local branch of a Chernobyl Children charity and used to host some Ukrainian girls for a month each summer until 2019 and Covid. The network has kicked into action for refugees.
Death of author & illustrator Shirley Hughes has been announced.
She was 94. Fond memories of "Dogger" and Alfie and his sister, Annie Rose. "Doing an Alfie" = a child wearing wellies on the wrong feet. Jan Pienkowski, another of my favourite author & illustrator of children's books died 10 days ago. Pienkowski was shown the paper cut-out technique in a Polish bomb centre when he was 3. Another child refugee who became an acclaimed author and illustrator was Judith Kerr; she lived to be 95. I was relieved that Michael Rosen survived Covid 2 years ago. My community and others placed teddy bears in their front windows or front gardens during the first lockdown so that children could go on a bear hunt during their daily hour of exercise. It took place while Rosen was in a coma. Reading Rosen's "Let's go on a Bear Hunt" to small children while they joined in with actions and sound effects was always good fun.
