Outing!
Today, ok, technically yesterday now, I went out! Properly out!
Not just round to the post box, letter in progress, card to write; not round the Rec, nor even round the local Cemetery to see the progress of Spring there - for all I can see the progress of Spring in our Yarden. And what I have been mostly seeing is that once the daffodils died back, there is nothing much in the way of flowers. Much to the disgust of visiting bees.
The Pelargoniums (aka Geraniums, but that's technically another species) have been in bloom on and off all winter, refusing to be totally washed away by the daily deluges. They've responded fantastically to five or six weeks of sunshine and are blazing away in pink and white glory. There are are couple of Forget-Me-Not plants nearby, the blue of which seems to emphasise the very pinkness of the Pelargoniums. They are gorgeous. When the sun is on them I shall get photographs*. If I remember.
But needing a few items from the vegan wholefood shop in Southsea, I asked OIF if he'd mind taking me in his car.
"No problem" Off we went.
It was SO NICE to see other places, styles of house, gardens, even roads (mostly empty) than the ones round here. The trees have come on amazingly, bright green leaves expanding by the day. As I thought, the 'candles' on the Horse Chestnut trees are coming into bloom. I love them, hayfever sufferers less so. Late-April-May can be a really bad time for hay feverists - what with Horse Chestnut tree pollen then oilseed rape pollen (that's what the fields of bright yellow flowers are at this time of year.) Though June can be pretty allergenic with all the grass pollens. Think I might have noticed a Wisteria experimentally putting out a few single flowers - blue to match the sky.
"Can we go back along the Front, please?"
"No problem." And not only did we head along the Front, but on finding an empty-ish stretch of prom we parked up. OIF went for a walk across the beach. I went for a walk along the Prom. These days an amble on a flat hard surface is enough. Shingle - as on the beach, is more challenging for my somewhat less that perfect balance.
Nature (meaning plant life) is really taking hold on the dry, well away from any waves, top of the shingle bank. The very eastern end has had a fine display of the succession herbal colonists for many years, which has gradually worked its way westward along the beach (against the prevailing sou'westerlies.) It starts with Sea Kale dotted about. Then Red Valerian and the odd Ragwort join in. Soon there's enough moisture retaining vegetable matter to support grass and other plants. Eventually, in the most sheltered dips, Holm Oak moves in - as bushes on the beach. Further inland, in semi-decent soil, it forms fine evergreen trees.
At the base of the Prom wall, where it drops onto the beach, other plants seed themselves:- brambles, Mallow, a Dog Rose, and the odd escapee (or dumped) from a garden - this time Spanish Bluebells and Erigeron. And wonder of wonders, three very dwarfed thickets bright with apple blossom, where people had lobbed their spent apple cores onto the beach instead of putting them in the handily provided bins. For that blossom I'll forgive them. Just use the bins the rest of the time, please.
It was sunny, it was breezy, it was bright, amazingly bright, even after our Yarden in the sun. All that light reflecting up of the sparkly blue sea, I suppose. And all the more precious for being a one-off visit in Lockdown**. For another couple of weeks, probably.
Another time I'll try to remember to take my camera with me, then decide whether I want to go to all the faff of sorting, sizing, uploading pictures to show you, rather than word pictures. All the plants mentioned are available on Wiki, or in any good wildflower identifier, even that now rare item, a book.
Y'all have a good day now!
* My recent, but before Lockdown, Charity shop £10 purchase likes it LIGHT before it'll snap anything. I don't mind.
** We are allowed out to get food and for exercise. That food shop is near the Front, we went to a less busy area for our walks. Thus we got our premitted exercise. The only downer in this is that I'm still up, sleepless, telling you about it all now. This is the second night in a row. It's becoming a Bad Habit. Help!
Not just round to the post box, letter in progress, card to write; not round the Rec, nor even round the local Cemetery to see the progress of Spring there - for all I can see the progress of Spring in our Yarden. And what I have been mostly seeing is that once the daffodils died back, there is nothing much in the way of flowers. Much to the disgust of visiting bees.
The Pelargoniums (aka Geraniums, but that's technically another species) have been in bloom on and off all winter, refusing to be totally washed away by the daily deluges. They've responded fantastically to five or six weeks of sunshine and are blazing away in pink and white glory. There are are couple of Forget-Me-Not plants nearby, the blue of which seems to emphasise the very pinkness of the Pelargoniums. They are gorgeous. When the sun is on them I shall get photographs*. If I remember.
But needing a few items from the vegan wholefood shop in Southsea, I asked OIF if he'd mind taking me in his car.
"No problem" Off we went.
It was SO NICE to see other places, styles of house, gardens, even roads (mostly empty) than the ones round here. The trees have come on amazingly, bright green leaves expanding by the day. As I thought, the 'candles' on the Horse Chestnut trees are coming into bloom. I love them, hayfever sufferers less so. Late-April-May can be a really bad time for hay feverists - what with Horse Chestnut tree pollen then oilseed rape pollen (that's what the fields of bright yellow flowers are at this time of year.) Though June can be pretty allergenic with all the grass pollens. Think I might have noticed a Wisteria experimentally putting out a few single flowers - blue to match the sky.
"Can we go back along the Front, please?"
"No problem." And not only did we head along the Front, but on finding an empty-ish stretch of prom we parked up. OIF went for a walk across the beach. I went for a walk along the Prom. These days an amble on a flat hard surface is enough. Shingle - as on the beach, is more challenging for my somewhat less that perfect balance.
Nature (meaning plant life) is really taking hold on the dry, well away from any waves, top of the shingle bank. The very eastern end has had a fine display of the succession herbal colonists for many years, which has gradually worked its way westward along the beach (against the prevailing sou'westerlies.) It starts with Sea Kale dotted about. Then Red Valerian and the odd Ragwort join in. Soon there's enough moisture retaining vegetable matter to support grass and other plants. Eventually, in the most sheltered dips, Holm Oak moves in - as bushes on the beach. Further inland, in semi-decent soil, it forms fine evergreen trees.
At the base of the Prom wall, where it drops onto the beach, other plants seed themselves:- brambles, Mallow, a Dog Rose, and the odd escapee (or dumped) from a garden - this time Spanish Bluebells and Erigeron. And wonder of wonders, three very dwarfed thickets bright with apple blossom, where people had lobbed their spent apple cores onto the beach instead of putting them in the handily provided bins. For that blossom I'll forgive them. Just use the bins the rest of the time, please.
It was sunny, it was breezy, it was bright, amazingly bright, even after our Yarden in the sun. All that light reflecting up of the sparkly blue sea, I suppose. And all the more precious for being a one-off visit in Lockdown**. For another couple of weeks, probably.
Another time I'll try to remember to take my camera with me, then decide whether I want to go to all the faff of sorting, sizing, uploading pictures to show you, rather than word pictures. All the plants mentioned are available on Wiki, or in any good wildflower identifier, even that now rare item, a book.
Y'all have a good day now!
* My recent, but before Lockdown, Charity shop £10 purchase likes it LIGHT before it'll snap anything. I don't mind.
** We are allowed out to get food and for exercise. That food shop is near the Front, we went to a less busy area for our walks. Thus we got our premitted exercise. The only downer in this is that I'm still up, sleepless, telling you about it all now. This is the second night in a row. It's becoming a Bad Habit. Help!