Daffodil poses

Easter Sunday

Two days later

And the next day

One does not expect to endure a frozen bum while performing one's annual daffodil posing routine...

Happy Nature Friday friends!

How rude!

So I was posing quietly among the daffodil shoots yesterday afternoon, thinking lyrical Nature Friday thoughts about new life emerging at this time of year, and about how in these high latitudes we must be patient and wait a little longer than most for our spring blooms to appear.

When along came this rude fellow and quite disturbed my poetic reverie. 

I'll be frank with you, my animal instincts took over, and I felt compelled to make quite clear my (distinctly unpoetical) views on his intrusion.

Happy Nature Friday friends! And once again fondest thanks to our lovely friends Jakey, Arty, Rosy and Sunny, for hosting the blog hop.

 

Behind the curve...

Happy Nature Friday friends!

Up here in Aberdeen, north of the 57th parallel, our spring flowers can be reluctant to emerge from their winter hiding places. So I'm delighted to report that just this week a splash of colour finally appeared in the open area at the top of our street, with those dinky little daffodils bringing welcome brightness to the walk around the block.

I'm also happy to report that, in this neck of the woods at least, the coronavirus epidemic has prompted a flowering of neighbourliness and goodwill. Everyone seems suddenly to have time for a chat - while standing the regulation two meters apart of course. Although in NE Scotland we are also somewhat behind the curve in terms of the spread of the horrid virus, the humans here are naturally worried. (Us pups, not so much, frankly.) There is much discussion about offering help for the older folk and vulnerable local folk who are 'self-isolating', and I can't help but notice that those now 'working at home' seem to have discovered renewed enthusiasm for taking their dogs out for walks several times a day. So it's not all bad news!

...And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And bounces with the daffodils.

William Wordsworth (nearly).

Oh the joys of spring! 

It is spring isn't it? Gail took her car to the garage yesterday to have the winter tyres removed and the regular ones put back on. The old mechanic looked surprised at the request and, clearly deeming it premature, asked "Ye're nae fae Scotland? D'ye ken fit month it is? "

Do wish us luck for the drive across the Highlands to our Torridon cottage this weekend...

Hoping you too are celebrating Nature Friday with Arty, Rosy and Jakey.

PS Our thoughts this morning are with all the families affected by the terrible terrorist attacks in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Oops I sat on the daffodils...

Last weekend at the Torridon cottage. I was checking out new growth in the garden when Gail called out, "Hey Bertie that would make a nice picture for the LLB gang's Nature Friday, you and the daffodil shoots. Your readers will be pleased to see that Spring is on the way here in NW Scotland."

So of course I obliged. Or so I thought. Only to hear an anguished cry.

"NO BERTIE! You're supposed to sit BESIDE not ON the daffodils...."

Ho hum. And I thought that after nearly nine years of blogging I had this posing business cracked...

Pee-ess..

(Belated) congratulations to King! The fifteenth wire fox terrier to be crowned Top Dog in the USA.

At least there's one Westminster where good decisions are made...

Bertie berates Aberdeen's reluctant daffodils

Really daffodils, you are putting on a poor show this year!

Don't you know that it's April already, and barely any of you have yet bothered to show your face?

The fact that it has recently been snowing here is absolutely no excuse! Surely you are aware that your counterparts in Germany are known as 'Osterglocken'? That means 'Easter Bells'. And Easter has come and gone. Our Deutsche Freunde would most certainly not appreciate your lack of punctuality!

At Human Granny's funeral service today in Nottingham, her grandaughter Annabel is going to be reading one of HGY's favourite poems, 'Daffodils' by William Wordsworth.

Down south in Nottingham, and also on the shores of Ullswater (where WW wandered lonely as a cloud), the daffodils will without doubt now be in full bloom.

What's that Gail?  Enough of my lecturing?

Well perhaps my readers would instead value a reminder of the full text of the aptly named Mr Wordsworth's beautiful poem:

"Daffodils"

I wander'd lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host of golden daffodils,
Beside the lake, beneath the trees
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretch'd in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced, but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee: -
A poet could not but be gay
In such a jocund company!
I gazed - and gazed - but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought.

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills
And dances with the daffodils.

William Wordsworth, 1807.

FFHT April: A fairly typical Friday walk

Yes, yippee, it's Murphy and Stanley's FFHT time again! We're short and sweet this month.


Last Friday's walk 

"Sit nicely" Gail said, "while I take an 'arty' photo of you and the daffodils". But it smelled like a rabbit was somewhere in the vicinity so I had other priorities.

"Come, Bertie", shouted Gail, from a distance. But it smelled like someone had dropped a piece of burger just by the path under the bridge, so I ignored her, again.

"Oh Bertie, do hurry up", Gail sighed, "we haven't got all day. But it smelled like my adversary Jake had been round these parts quite recently, so I was loath to rush ahead. 

"Leave it Bertie!" shrieked Gail, too late, as I prepared to roll in some freshly produced fox poo.

To me, it smelled like ambrosia.

Although Gail begged to differ, as she wound down the windows in the car going home. 

Bertie's musings on Wordsworth...

           I WANDERED lonely as a cloud
Lonely? A cloud, lonely? Clearly William Wordsworth was not in Aberdeen. The whole sky has been covered in clouds all week..
          That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
And they are very low clouds too.
          When all at once I saw a crowd,
          A host, of golden daffodils;
Well yes we certainly have plenty of them here.
          Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
          Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
But you know what, for the first time in about six months, there is in fact NO WIND here this morning. And no sign of even the gentlest fluttering.

          
          Continuous as the stars that shine
          And twinkle on the milky way,
Hmmm. Astronomy. Nice touch there Bill.
          They stretched in never-ending line
          Along the margin of a bay:                                  
          Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
          Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
A cab driver once told Gail there were ten million daffodils in Aberdeen…

          The waves beside them danced; but they
          Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
          A poet could not but be gay,
         In such a jocund company:
This is so true. Sort of like being with a wire-haired fox terrier actually.
          I gazed--and gazed--but little thought
          What wealth the show to me had brought:

          For oft, when on my couch I lie
          In vacant or in pensive mood,  
I wouldn't say I do vacant.                             
          They flash upon that inward eye
          Which is the bliss of solitude;
          And then my heart with pleasure fills,
          And dances with the daffodils.
Ah yes, I get what he means now :-)

Bertie comes over all Prince Charles

So I decided it was time I had a word with the flowers in Duthie Park.

Really they seem most confused this year.

First of all I spoke to the snowdrops:

"Now look here snowdrops, what on earth are you doing still hanging around these parts?  Don't you know it's nearly the middle of April, way past your wilting time. Fancy having the cheek to still be in bloom. I mean I know you are a delightful sight in January, but now you have most certainly outstayed your welcome. And the fact that it keeps snowing is simply no excuse."

Next I addressed the crocuses:

"Well chaps I realise that if the snowdrops are still with us, then you might be thinking you have every right to stick it out here for a bit longer too. But surely you've noticed that it doesn't get dark now until past eight o'clock at night? There's even enough light for the post-work cricketers to come down to the park for a practice session. You'd get a nasty shock if one of those hard cricket balls bounced on your delicate petals wouldn't you? Time, I respectfully suggest, for you to focus your energies on next year's bulb production."

 Finally, I located some daffodils.

"Jeez, you fellows need to buck up your ideas for sure. You know that the Germans call you Osterglocken? Yes, that's right, 'Easter bells'. And when was Easter? Nearly two weeks ago. And most of you have still not shown your face to the world. I don't think our friends in Deutschland would be too impressed with your punctuality would they? OK so one or two of the more precocious amongst you have finally made an effort to get out of your bed, but it's a poor show all round I must say."

Oh. Gail is telling me that when Prince Charles talks to plants, he probably adopts a less hectoring tone, and perhaps I should consider doing the same, rather than sounding like the recently departed Mrs Thatcher (who had few fans in Scotland).

But really what can you do when Spring is so mixed up with its timing?