Sunday 7 March 2010

Spring flowers


Way back many decades ago when I was at Primary School, we learned a poem about the months and seasons of the year, one line of which was, if my memory serves me correctly:

March brings breezes loud and shrill - stirs the dancing daffodil.

I haven't seen any dancing daffodils yet, except for 99p a bunch in Marks and Spencer. (A bargain: my bunch lasted for over a week.) But today I noticed a bunch of scruffy purple crocuses in Mr G's front garden, right by where the rubbish and recycling bags get dumped once a week, and where all the crisp and chocolate wrappers dropped by passing schoolkids get blown. With four schools nearby, that's a lot of wrappers!

Sorry it's not a better photograph. Just as I was about to do my David Bailey impression in slippers and loads of woollies, a couple and a dog walked past and I was so embarrassed that I clicked the shutter once and scuttled back inside.

What flowers have you seen so far this year?

8 comments:

Teresa Ashby said...

I haven't seen so much as a snowdrop yet!

Jackie Sayle said...

Our snowdrops have been flowering for some time now and were joined by the crocuses last week. This morning, the cheerful yellow of winter jasmine has joined the show and I've noticed the big weeping willow nearby has developed the golden glow that means new leaves are not too far off.

Jackie Sayle said...

Incidentally, the poem you quoted is this one:

The Months

January brings the snow,
makes our feet and fingers glow.

February brings the rain,
Thaws the frozen lake again.

March brings breezes loud and shrill,
stirs the dancing daffodil.

April brings the primrose sweet,
Scatters daises at our feet.

May brings flocks of pretty lambs,
Skipping by their fleecy damns.

June brings tulips, lilies, roses,
Fills the children's hand with posies.

Hot july brings cooling showers,
Apricots and gillyflowers.

August brings the sheaves of corn,
Then the harvest home is borne.

Warm september brings the fruit,
Sportsmen then begin to shoot.

Fresh October brings the pheasents,
Then to gather nuts is pleasent.

Dull November brings the blast,
Then the leaves are whirling fast.

Chill December brings the sleet,
Blazing fire, and Christmas treat.

Sara Coleridge

hydra said...

Thanks for the poem, Jacula. Wonder what a gilly flower is?

hydra said...

Have just looked it up. In Chaucer's time and Shakespeare's time it was a carnation, but it can also be soapwort, or pinks.

Jackie Sayle said...

What a pity we can't edit comments. Whoever typed the poem onto the net can't spell. I should have read it through first! Corrections, as I'm sure you know are 'dams' to replace 'damns' (LOL), it should read children's 'HANDS' not 'hand', pheasants' to replace 'pheasents' and 'pleasant' to replace 'pleasent'.

hydra said...

I have to say that when I glanced through, I didn't even notice, Jacula!!!

Bix said...

Our snow hasn't melted all the way yet, but I just know there are crocuses under there somewhere trying to push through. I can feel it.