Spring!

Today, Sunday April 21,  leaves are sprouting from the trees, to my delight spoiling the clear outline of bare branches against the sky. All of a sudden tiny pale pink blossoms appear on trees. Daffodils, blue scylla's, the bright yellow stars of lesser celandine, decorate the garden. Not long now before nature will again be a feast of colour, all in time for the installation of the new king and queen. It will be wonderful to see the many shades of green and copper of the young leaves, so different from the rather uniform green in midsummer. It is just a week ago that the first frog arrived in my pond, and already it is filled with spawn. The fish have been disturbed and woken by the comings and antics of the frogs, and are swimming near the surface to catch some sun and warmth. I am glad many seem to have survived the long an very cold winter and that there are tens of tiny young fish as well. Although not very clear, the water of the pond is at least healthy. The magnolia stellata is turning its pure white flowers towards the sun and the light. But there is still danger, danger of night frost which will kill off the blossom as it did the flowers of an earlier flowering magnolia. But whatever happens, spring has definitely arrived. And who knows, perhaps the tulips may also decide to show their colours, competing with the only colour in the bulb fields so far, the bright yellow of the daffodils.