At last!
At last, at last, we have a change in the weather, bringing a change in the season. Last week began as usual with snow showers and snowdrops in full bloom, as if it were mid-February rather than mid-April. Over the weekend, a couple of days of heavy rain – the first in weeks and weeks – and warm southerly winds have brought Spring in almost overnight. I swear the grass grew two inches in two days: suddenly the fields look green rather than drab, and the snowdrops’ leaves have grown over the heads of the still-blooming flowers. (We have moved on to mid-March, in fact!) So this week’s Tuesday trees (yes, they do still appear here from time to time) are optimistic trees.
Daffodils have burst into bloom beneath the oaks and Douglas firs, where the bright new grass pushes through last year’s leaf litter.
The horse chestnut leaves will be unfurling from their buds at any moment; perhaps as I write.
Best of all, the first cherry blossoms are out. This little cherry tree blossomed on New Year’s Day last year, in an oddly mild winter. This year, it is as late in blooming as it has ever been, I think. How glad we are to welcome it!
At this date two years ago, we were well ahead in the season: compare An April that feels like May.
Dancing Beastie 
That first picture looks like a movie set for some magical story. Glad spring has finally come to dance around you
What a lovely way of putting it! Sometimes I think perhaps I do live in a magical story. 🙂
I share your joy, DB, as spring suddenly unfolds here too. I love your photo of the horse-chestnut buds and as for the cherry blossom – ah!
Isn’t it wonderful – literally.
It is all so uplifting isn’t it? I am anticipating the explosion of leaves from the buds on my Ash tree, it has been bare for far too long.
Our ash trees are always the very last trees to come into leaf. When they do, though, I think they are among the most beautiful trees there are.
How lovely to see the cherry blossom! I can’t wait to see all the leaves and flowers coming out around here. We are back to rain and wind today.
Yes, so are we… but the cherry blossom does cheer me up as I get blown past it with the dogs! 🙂
Your beautiful post is like a balm for my weary soul as I ponder the forecast, which calls for snow tomorrow — and more again on Friday. How comforting it is to think that spring may soon gild my garden with golden daffodils, too. Thank you for this ray of hope, DB.
Remember, sooner or later the daffodils WILL come, even to the Mid-West! 🙂
How lovely to see a fat, sticky chestnut bud. I can smell it and feel it in my imagination. We have slid from Winter into Summer with no interim period– very jolting but wonderful to feel the sun’s warmth and our lilac has done a magical twist and put out its flower buds while beneath it the bluebells ( garden variety=Spanish harebells) have no bud spikes yet where usually these herald the first one.
It has been another odd winter for the northern hemisphere, hasn’t it? We get off very lightly really in the British Isles, certainly compared to parts of continental Europe. It will be a while yet before the lilac buds here, but the chestnut has indeed started bursting into leaf in the past two or three days. Such a pleasure to see!