Halfway round the sun

6 months ago the leaves

Held onto the trees

Fluttered in the breeze

Warm and gentle

Only slightly crisped

By cold winds and frosts

Halfway round the sun

The light slowly faded

Cold winds decended

Now the grey gloom remains

The sun visited us today

For half an hour

But still…….

Halfway round the sun

Spring is coming….

Rose

Soon I’ll know if the roses I planted last year have survived the winter. I put in five of them. Climbers and ramblers. I wanted them to grow on the remains of the hedge our neighbour (a builder) had torn out and made our garden vulnerable to being burgled two October ago. I’m hoping they will make a prickly, but beautiful barrier. I love scented roses and I might try putting a few more in this spring. You can get bare rooted ones that you just use a slit trench (push the spade into the soil and make a slit) to plant. Fingers crossed.

Leaf

Leaf leaves tree

How long will it be

Before naked branches

Are clothed again?

First frost, then rain

Maybe snow will come again.

Icicles hang on gutters

Defrost as cold rain sputters

Then one day a bud bursts open.

Spring comes slowly,

Time is sullen.

In these months leaves are rotten

And autumn colours are forgotten.

Farewell friend

The end….

Seasons

A writing prompt from Esther Chilton.

My favourite season is Spring. The anticipation of warm weather to come. Flowers and buds emerging after a bleak winter, and birds, bees and animals taking advantage of the newly green fields.

But to be honest this year the, spring seems to have started, but winter is still here in July. Low temperatures, low pressure and 80% of July’s rainfall in just 10 days in the UK has made for a dismal start to the summer. The jet stream is south of us scooping down cold and wet air from the Arctic.

Meanwhile Southern Europe is baking in record breaking heat with numerous deaths.

Hopefully it will turn into a mild autumn. Unless the weather morphs into a more wintery scene…..

Spring

What is your favorite season of year? Why?

Flowers open

First daffodils then tulips

Some promise of primroses

Helibores nod their head

Leaves unfurl and spread

Yellows and golds attract the bees

Their eyes subtle patterns insects see.

Guiding them to nectar

From flowers and trees.

That’s the season set to please!

Sad marigolds

Marigolds in a bag, something seems to have broken the flowers off. I’ve got to get them planted but yesterday the rain fall was stupendous. Today the weather was better, but I am very tired. Tomorrow could be the day they get planted. Meanwhile, the forecast is for more rain and cold winds coming from the north. June seems to be below par for the time of year. But I’m determined to get my garden looking good instead of full of overgrown weeds!

Silver birches

Sunlight on birches

Silver and brown.

Spring is a blooming

In woods and on ground.

Bluebells are over

Now comes the new

Garlands of roses

Covered in dew

Clematis climbing

Lilac are blue

Purple and white

Flowers scented too.

Remember the birches

Other trees shine

Oak tree and walnut

Hornbeam and lime

Oh lovely summer

In you come soon

When sunlight is brightest

At wondrous noon.

Feels like autumn!

Some leaves are falling despite copious rain. It’s mid may up here in the northern hemisphere, but spring and summer feel far away. What is happening ? Is the climate changing? Maybe it’s a slow motion version of the film the day after tomorrow. Some talk of the Gulf stream current dwindling has been mooted over the last few years. The stream pulls up warm water from the Atlantic up the west coast of Wales and Scotland then on up to the Arctic. This floats above cold water travelling underneath it in the opposite direction. But humans seem to have the ability to mess things up. I have no proof of this. I’m merely speculating. But the weather is cold and grey. I think I’ll take a vitamin D tablet.