Speaking of Spring (weren't we?), I thought some comparison photos might be fun.

The photo below was taken on the first day of spring in 2011 (just a year ago) here at CC. Oh my. What was Mother Nature thinking?



Below is a photo taken on the first day of spring in 2012, just two days ago, here at CC:



I tend to gauge whether spring has really sprung by the forsythia bush in my neighbor's front garden. When there is snow on the ground, as there was last year at this date, no blooms could be seen, but this year, as you can see in the photo above, which was taken on the first day of spring of this year, 2012, there is an ever-so-faint hue of yellow on the forsythia bush at Peggy's place across the street.

Just below is the photo I took just today, two days into spring of 2012. No snow. Forsythia just popping out. Lovely weather (it's been in the 70s to 80s the last couple of days here!).




Here it is, in the Spring of 2010, in its full majesty and glory. I love that bush. I've told Peggy I love that bush, and she has kept it pruned back, I see, this year so it's much more "neat & tidy" than previously. I like forsythia both ways.



I like a neat and tidy forsythia bush and/or hedge. I used to drive by a house in Marblehead that had forsythia hedges lining the entire front and side perimeters of the property, which was quite extensive, and in the spring, when the yellow was at it's most glorious, it was a spectacular sight.

I also like a wild forsythia look. We have one in our garden, next to the driveway, that has not been kept pruned or neat and tidy, although Paul does try to trim it when he thinks of it. I keep telling him not to trim it in the fall or early spring as he'll cut off all the new flowering buds, so this year I'm afraid he has let it go wild. But I do like a wild looking forsythia, as well.

The photo below was taken in early spring of 2002. Note the slightly blooming and wild-looking forsythia bush in the center of the photo, just to the left of the red blooming quince bush. I had a heckuva time planting that forsythia. I moved it from a remote area of the garden to this spot when we first bought the house, and there is ledge/rock underneath it so it almost didn't even grow there at all.



Ah, 2002 - that was a very good year! It was the last time we went to England. Ten whole years ago. Remember Sandy? How could we forget? What a fun trip.



That's Sandy, above, who was afraid of high places before this trip! She and Paul are atop (very high) Sutton Bank in North Yorkshire in this photo, enjoying the spectacular view of the Hambleton Hills and westward toward the Dales.

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It's funny how a blog entry on forsythia comparisons can wind its merry way into a reminiscence of our last trip to England ten years ago... but all things are connected, in one way or another, and it's nice that we have a document of these wonderful times we had. I love the internet. I may not be the most savvy person on it, but it's nice to be able to share things with friends like this.



Above are Sandy & Paul at Northstead Gardens in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England. Being tourists. What fun.

Cheers for Spring, for forsythia bushes, for England, and for everlasting friendships!

Bex & Co.

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"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened."

[Anatole France]


For a really good read, see "From Marblehead to Provincetown: The Loneliness of a Long-Distance Skater"