April -- No Fooling

This weeks post is brought to you by the letter "S" and the colour "Green".

Spring has definitely arrived in this part of the world.

"April, April, laugh thy girlish laughter, then a moment after, weep thy girlish tears."

 

Sir William Watson

 

This is a painting I did last year for the Brock House Society calendar, it is called "The Best Seat in the Park" and is a typical spring day in Jericho Park with someone enjoying my favorite bench.

This painting is for sale, all funds go to Brock House Society, let me know if you are interested in buying it.

 

SPRING, SPRING, SPRING!

 

The new spring growth is a very special bright startling green and is Springing up everywhere!

 

 

 

Green, green, green!

 

 

I love the patterns in this root.

 

 

 

 

Flower God, God Of The Spring

 

FLOWER god, god of the spring, beautiful, bountiful,

Cold-dyed shield in the sky, lover of versicles,

Here I wander in April

Cold, grey-headed; and still to my

Heart, Spring comes with a bound, Spring the deliverer,

Spring, song-leader in woods, chorally resonant;

Spring, flower-planter in meadows,

Child-conductor in willowy

Fields deep dotted with bloom, daisies and crocuses:

Here that child from his heart drinks of eternity:

O child, happy are children!

She still smiles on their innocence,

She, dear mother in God, fostering violets,

Fills earth full of her scents, voices and violins:

Thus one cunning in music

Wakes old chords in the memory:

Thus fair earth in the Spring leads her performances.

One more touch of the bow, smell of the virginal

Green - one more, and my bosom

Feels new life with an ecstasy.  

 

Robert Louis Stevenson    

 

  

The birds are busy too, pairing up, a spring in their step.

 

These Widgeons in step.       

 

  

 

 

Golden crowned sparrows I think.

 

 

 

And a lone Great Blue Heron fishing in the shallow water.

 

 

Spring Song

by Robert Louis Stevenson

THE air was full of sun and birds,
The fresh air sparkled clearly.
Remembrance wakened in my heart
And I knew I loved her dearly.

The fallows and the leafless trees
And all my spirit tingled.
My earliest thought of love, and Spring's
First puff of perfume mingled.

In my still heart the thoughts awoke,
Came lone by lone together -
Say, birds and Sun and Spring, is Love
A mere affair of weather?

---------------------

And with Easter just around the corner I thought some rabbits would be appreciated.

There were dark chocolate, milk chocolate and even white chocolate rabbits at the park.

 

 

These rabbits were stretched out, relaxing.

 

 Some were eating.

 

 

This one looked exhausted.

 

 

She seemed to be watching over this little brood of babies:

 

 

Please forgive me for including so many, these bunnies were small and so cute. My favorite is the grey one with the black nose. There were at least six of the little ones.

A few more plants, from my garden, beautiful greens, beautiful spring. 

  

Lots of paint being splashed around here this week. First of all I took a better picture of this one from last week so her is "Ready and Waiting: again:

 

Here are two new ones. First "Donkey Trio":

 

 

and second "High and Dry":

 

All are watercolours. The "Donkey Trio" is inspired by a photograph I took in southern France a few years ago. The "High and Dry" is from a photograph that I took when I was on Gabriola Island a couple of years ago.

That's my first post for April, no fooling.


Until next time...

Thank you for all your kind comments on my last post.

 

Thanks for stopping by,

 

happy Whimsy Wednesday,

 

 

Gillian.

 

Mixed Bag

The expression mixed bag usually refers to an assortment of unrelated objects. Today I am focussing on a mixed bag of natural events happening simultaneously: perennials in the garden are starting to bloom, as are wild flowers at the park and beach, and ducklings and goslings and other nestlings are continuing their cycle of life. 

In the garden the perennials are set to burst into bloom. Below the flowering stems of the succulent "Hen and Chickens"; neither a real hen or a chicken but a succulent that spreads when tiny versions of the parent plant, the chickens, spring from all around the parent looking like a mother hen attempting to shelter its chicks.

The last few Camillia blooms. This year we have had hundreds of blooms on our Camelia bushes.

The lilac is just flowering, a beautiful and fragrant addition to the garden.

The apple trees are covered in flower, hopefully leading to abundant apple crops this fall.

The wild lupins at the beach and in the park are just starting to bloom in beautiful blues, pinks and purples.

... and these insects have noticed.

The Horse chestnut trees are in flower with their wonderful, delicate blooms.

The buttercups are bursting into bloom too, beautiful buttery yellows shining in the sunshine.

When my Wisteria died back a couple of years ago, I was worried that it had died, but it has since regrown (from below the graft I believe) and is flowering robustly again this year. It provides a wonderful sweet fragrance at this time of year and then a welcome shade on our patio throughout the summer.

 In the park the Wild Roses are in bloom, so elegant, so understated, so beautiful.

At the pond in the park the Redwing blackbirds are busily looking after their nestlings; here I strayed a little too close to the nest and attracted the attention of both the male and female Red wings:

The Canada Geese float elegantly on the pond.

 This pair has five goslings to take care of and this morning all were catching a few winks when I stopped by with my camera.

Back at home this Downy Wodpecker is enjoying the suet that I have left out.

More succulents flowering.

The red Peony is always the first to bloom in my garden: the bud and then the flower.

The delicate Corn Flower bud and below the flower.

The start of the Day Lilies; as the name implies each flower lasts only a day.

The last spring and early summer are a wonderful and eventful time in the garden, and probably my favorite time of the year.


Here is a recently finished watercolour of a Great Blue Heron. I am donating this painting to the Brock House Summer Fair Art Sale.

Thank you for dropping by, and Happy Whimsy Wednesday, until next week ...