Spring is coming!

"..... won't be far behind" - reminds me of
"If winter comes, can spring be far behind?" ? Shakespeare?
Here in SW France we're not much more advanced than in the UK.
Last week - wild daffodils in bud.
And our shrub cognassier de Japon is about to burst into flower.
Yesterday I saw hundreds of lapwings, which I think fly down from the north hoping for milder weather. They're a beautiful sight, swarming up and down in moving skeins.

Snowdrops and crocuses in flower daffs won't be far behind.

The yellow pompoms on the Cornus Mas are showing this morning as are the pink buds on the Rhododendron Praecox. My snowdrops have spread nicely since last year. One of my Camellias is covered in fat buds, but the other one - with variegated foliage - shows no sign of flowering although otherwise it looks perfectly healthy.

Hardly Spring but...... geraniums still in flower, one antirrhinum still in flower from last years Summer bedding !Snowdrops finally growing, bamboo canes [2] shooting up. Bizarre.

No snowdrops yet but still got Campanula flowers and some type of coloured daisy (like a Gerbera?)

Birds calling for mates and nesting in our garden in Essex.
Snowdrops out and a couple of neighbours daffs are in flower.
A rose still in flower!

Same old!

Flower In Cheshire mine are just showing the white buds poking out of the green.

Snowdrops in garden (a few) will have to throw the abandoned bulbs in a tub and hope for the best

Daffodils are now coming out in flower as well as primroses but so far no snowdrops or crocuses. East Sussex is waking up.

It is strange how unplanted bulbs seem keener than planted ones to get going.

Yep! the bulbs that I forgot to plant are sprouting beautifully in my porch in their plastic bags. Snowdrops, daffs, tulips and crocus.

First snowdrop today, in the rain.

I went to tesco's and the cut daffs are in, so it must be spring.
I fell for some little pots of tete-a-tete and thyme and lavender which I shall harden off and put outside, as I can't find any pansies, which were what I intended to have at the front, I usually have a bunch of pots there but it's looking a bit bare....

Fabulous shrub at this time of year, isn't it.

Witch Hazel is in full glorious bloom in parks and gardens. Saw a lovely one at the end of my walk today. A cloud of yellow.

Galen Hope the bluetit is set to stay!

Daft apricot has now produced 2 blossoms and a bluetit was peering into the nesting box.

Nellie , mine too , looks glorious !

My Mahonia is in full bloom with wonderful yellow flowers. As a plant it is viciously prickly but the flash of winter yellow is good and it provides a good source of berries for the birds early in the year.

The only thing that is is in bloom now, and has been for a few weeks, is winter heliotrope. Possibly our only truly winter flowering species (if you exclude catkins). Delicate little pink/lilac pompoms with an incredible vanilla-violets scent. "common locally" as they say. Lots of images online.

B I now know what to do with the little handbag diary I was given. I rarely use handbags, but kept the sweet diary thinking it'll find a place in my life somehow. Now it has. Will keep notes for comparison.

ffinn, it might be worth contacting naturescal and asking to join in where you are now, with a view to having British observations in due course. You never know, worth a try.

Or you could just jot down dates in a notebook for comparison. I'd be interested in comparing your dates with mine

Nonu

Think we can bank on that Ffinnochio, I am glad to say ...