A Tulip Fairytale.

Although I love any kind of flowers and plants, my favorite have always been the resilient perennials, that sprout from a bulb.
There is no greater joy than seeing the early crocuses pushing through the last snow and as the sun grows stronger, later daffodils, the heavenly scented hyacinths and tulips.

Last October I planted fresh bulbs all over my terrace and impatiently waited for their bloom, which was heavily delayed due to the record breaking, cold and long winter. The bloom of my beautiful red tulips is indeed weeks behind schedule. Still, the ethereal, almost vulnerable beauty of the cup shaped, showy flowers, as they turn towards the sun and slowly unravel their petals when heated by the vital rays is at all times worth the endless wait.

The Time Of Anticipation.

As April leans toward its end and the sun climbs higher up in the sky, spring is reaching its culmination. This at least according to the calendar.
In reality, it is only truly beginning.

After a week of a weather full of contradictions, including even hail and snow, today is sunny, but chilly. It feels as if winter is still present in the air, her icy breath ever so palpable in the wind gusts.

Still, upon closer look, it is obvious that a new season is gaining hold over our landscape. Today I discovered the first wild flowers in bloom. The meadows are full of daisies and violets and just next to my house, the first dandelion could be found basking in the sun, its yellow crown so significant of late spring.
Most of the bushes are now covered in a gentle green hue and cherry tree bloom is imminent.

As we reach the point of no return, while April turns into May, even here the culmination of the season will become ever so apparent. Thus the time of anticipation will begin.

Return To The Birch Tree.

Slowly, the nature is waking up after its winter sleep. The yearly cycle of our trees is just about to begin yet again.
Some of you might remember the small series of photographs I posted over the course of last autumn, depicting - or following - the loss of the foliage of a majestic birch tree in my front yard.

This progressive photography is I guess not completed yet, as the season of spring is missing. I am very intrigued by the idea of progress, whether this progress is man made or natural. I love to watch the seasons change, the transition of buds to leaves or flowers, the growth of plants and trees. To document the alterations in foliage of a tree is absolutely rewarding, as the changes are almost always visible within a few weeks.

Thus every Monday I will post a picture of my beautiful birch tree, depicting the changes in images, taking you back from "bare to green". Already now, the tree has visible buds of it's imminent flowers, that will be in bloom very shortly, bringing us the first pollen of the season.

April Awakening.

Today is a simply gorgeous day. A glorious spring day, when the nature is celebrating the return of life, as it renews itself, gaining energy from the warmth of the vital sun.

Even thought the air is cold, the northern wind has brought dry air and pristine blue skies. It feels as a true onset of the summer season is no longer a distant, at times unreal destination.

I removed my garden furniture from its winter storage this morning, making my front, east facing patio much more inviting suddenly - a perfect spot for a morning cup of coffee. In the process of restoring it back to its rightful glory and place, I noticed that April has brought a true awakening to my surroundings. Daffodils are now in full bloom at last and all the bushes and trees are displaying the first buds and shoots.

In a few weeks, the first green hue will cover all the shrubs, signifying the culmination of the spring season.

Gentle Spring.

Easter is slowly reaching its end. I have enjoyed the holidays and the short, but absolutely vital break away from work and the virtual world. The weather has been as mixed as one traditionally expects from the month of April. Almost a true cliché in fact; anything from hail and storm to a beautiful, warm sunshine.

The onset of a new month brings renewal in our nature in a very obvious way. Gone are the frosty nights and the sun grows stronger and more majestic by each passing day. It has added over six hours to our daylight. This means we are half way through the light increase before reaching the shortest night of the summer solstice.

My patio is changing as well. I did the first significant gardening of this year, taking care of my shrubs and bushes, trimming away dead branches of clematis, making it ready for its new season. I planted a few yellow pansies and multi-coloured violets, which add further life to my west facing patio. My daffodils are still only barely in bloom while crocuses are reaching their peak and slowly, the stalks of tulips and hyacinths are pushing through the soil.

This past Saturday the winds changed. A chilly breeze from east brought dry air and with it a pristine, bright sunny day. The first true spring day.
My terrace, completely shielded and drenched in sunshine became a tranquil oasis for the first time this year. As I sat on my sun chair covered in blankets, breathing in the fresh air and relaxing in the warmth of the sun, I relished in all the gentle beauty of spring that surrounded me in colours and scents. The life so palpable everywhere made me smiled with amusement as I recalled the massive snow blanket that used to cover this same spot just a few weeks ago.

The 1st Of April.

The first day in April has been labeled as a Fool's Day. It is a day when family and friends play practical jokes on each other; some are mild and innocent, some can be severe.

I seldom fall for any of it. The only "semi" cruel joke someone played on me was once at work, ages ago. I was around 23 at that time and was employed at a laboratory in Sweden. Young and insecure, I was terrified of making a mistake. The PhD student I was working for at that time, switched around some tubes that I was incubating on a shaker, without my knowledge. My tubes were capped tightly and contained a very precious sample. When incubation was completed after one hour, I was shocked to find the tubes empty and the liquid all leaked out. I remember the disbelieve, as the cap was still tightly on. Logically, it made really no sense that the sample should have leaked. Of course, once you are stressed, all the logic goes out of the window. With a heavy heart I found the PhD student whose sample I lost and explained to her what happened. She was almost on the floor laughing within moments after I finished, shouting "April's Fools Day!!" Although extremely relieved, I was doing my best to hide the complete frustration over such a cruel joke. Well, I guess I had no sense of humour. Although today this makes for a good story and indeed makes me laugh.

In Scandinavia, it is also common that newspapers and news broadcasts on television include strange news clips or articles, but sometimes it is difficult to spot which piece of news is the fake one.
I recall one year in the 80's a report on the Swedish television news regarding a fake currency being in circulation. It was concerning the hundred kronor bills of that time. The design from the beginning of that decade depicted a ship on the back of the banknote. The news anchor informed us that any banknote where the sails were down, was fake. The genuine bill displayed the ship under full sail. I remember how all of us in my family immediately checked our wallets, only to conclude that all the bills in our possession were fake. I even recall the discussion we had about what to do and who to contact, although our concern was not particularly serious.
It was only the day after in school that I discovered that this was a practical joke played on the Swedes by the media. All the genuine banknotes were depicted with the sails down.

Happy 1st April everyone, may you stay safe from practical jokes!