In the last few days, the trees have burst their buds in a delicate display of chartreuse, pink, white, and lavender lace. Beside every fence and lane are bright drifts of golden forsythia and purpley-pink mounds of azalea. I've donned my garden gloves and tidied the flower beds and pruned and nourished the roses.
Last Thursday the David Austin rose catalog arrived in my mailbox--I haven't put it down since. Do you receive this wonder? It is a coffee-table-worthy publication of gorgeous photos, beautiful descriptions, and lots of helpful information and tips on growing English roses. I don't have any English roses in my garden yet (I have two floribundas: Moondance and Sunsprite; and two hybrid teas: Falling in Love and Let Freedom Ring; none of which are particularly happy with our New England winters--makes you wonder why they sell these varieties here), but I've told my family that my Mother's Day wish is for two D.A. English roses: The Lady of Shalott, and Mustead Wood--even the names are delightful to me.
Last week I saw the most dazzling sunset of my life right outside my door. The sky was lit up in every shade of pink (the photo above is completely untouched). I stood there marveling at the awesome play of colored light, and for just a moment I was enraptured and forgot all the earthly things: the bills and bombs and health concerns and dead fish. The only thing of true importance was the way the sky flared pink as the sun went down.
I'm still knitting my 'Fronds' nap blanket, but I've cast-on some socks, too. The pattern is 'Lace and Cable Socks' by Wendy Johnson. I'm using Ivy Brambles 'Sockscene' yarn in the Secret Garden colorway. I'm obsessed with this yarn--it's all the colors of spring: moss, chartreuse, lilac, azalea, rose; sqeeeeee! I'll probably finish one sock and then cast-on a new project (my life is incredibly mundane, so I must insist on variety in my hobbies😁). I have an old skein of Dream in Color 'Starry' in the Some Summer Sky colorway that I want to knit into a Soft Sunday shawl by Suvi Simola next. When I'm finished with that project, I will knit the other lace and cable sock, and perchance get back to working on 'Fronds'. In between, I'll be painting rocks for our town's Kindness Rock Project (the ones in the photo above, however, are not mine; I tend to paint whimsical scenes and critters) and painting postcards and other little things.
Easter was the strangest I've ever experienced. My older kids all had to work, so we didn't have dinner until quite late--after seven pm. We dined al fresco on the deck because it was 86 degrees (New England gets a few rogue summer days in the midst of our traditionally cool, wet springs). We colored eggs Friday evening, and I made Easter bread on Saturday. Sunday was sleepy and unseasonably warm. We spent most of the day lazying around and puttering in the garden.
I'm reading aloud The Legends of King Arthur and His Knights by Sir James Knowles to my youngest (who is not quite eleven). It's an old and wonderful telling that has made me want to find a good novel about King Arthur to read myself. I've been looking at different books and series but can't decide. A lot of people like The Mists of Avalon, but I don't think it's for me. I love Mary Stewart, so The Crystal Cave is in the running. Are there any other King Arthur novels you can recommend to me?
Thank you to everyone who commented on my last post. I intended to reply to each one, but time got away from me. It seems I rarely have the chance to be online for very long these days, which makes me wonder why I try to keep a blog at all. A great deal has changed in my life in the last few years, and in some ways blogging isn't the best fit anymore, but I really don't like Instagram. I do deeply appreciate everyone who takes the time to read here. ♥
