Sunday, April 17, 2011

Aha! Sheer Delight and Magic!

Last night, when the sky was illuminated with moonlight and the stars found their way through the darkness ~ I put my head on the pillow and thought tomorrow will be a magical day!

And what a beautiful day it was! I checked out the front and back garden, surprising a robin who was having a morning bath. It quickly flew into the Pink Dogwood tree, turned its back to me, and fluffed its feathers.

Photobucket


I found some new growth on various plants:

Photobucket


What a great opportunity to walk down to the woodland garden, renew my annual membership and see what magic was springing up there.

This couple were heading into the gardens as well...I wondered if they frequented the same hair salon ;) Well coiffed in a sleek and shiny way!

Photobucket


I stood on the footpath bridge crossing the marsh and marvelled at the Skunk Cabbage in all of its glory. Swamp Lantern does sound preferable!

Photobucket


In previous years, a pair of Mallards has nested here.

Photobucket


Photobucket


There were other little birds hopping through the marsh weaving amongst the grasses.



They were Song Sparrows, the same kind of bird I see in the thicket beside Harzel.


Photobucket


Beautiful Camellia flowers in all shades were visible ~

Photobucket


and a few Rhodos were flowering ~
Photobucket


Photobucket


Just like in the Rose Fyleman poem,
There are fairies at the bottom of our garden!
It's not so very, very far away;
You pass the gardener's shed
and you just keep straight ahead
I do so hope they've come to stay.
There's a little wood with moss in it and beetles,
And a little stream that quietly runs through;
You wouldn't think they'd dare
to come merrymaking there,
Well, they do!

And once past the Gardener's shed, there's is a path that leads into a magical place in the woodland garden...

Photobucket


...but this is what I saw:

Photobucket


The gardens were holding a sale of plants they had grown, and I bought two. One for my friend who had admired a certain flowering currant the other day, and the other a rose that I have been hoping for since I first saw it cascading over a gateway. It is difficult to propagate and apparently the rose knows no bounds once it gets going, so I may eventually be held captive in a rose briar ;) With one pot in each hand, I made my way home.
Photobucket


You'd think that was enough magic for one day, wouldn't you?


But who was there to greet me when I got home? Are you ready for this????? He was looking very handsome in his elegant black dinner jacket... (I think this is my favorite photo ever)

Photobucket


Photobucket


What a delightful surprise to see my elusive Yellow-Rumped Warbler!

Later on, I drove to buy some groceries and saw a display of red tulips blooming by the sea :)

Photobucket

8 comments:

  1. Well, what a magical day you had and it has been a delight to share it!

    Your Skunk Cabbage (I too prefer the other name) is very like our wild Cuckoo Pint otherwise known as Lords and Ladies, Jack in the Pulpit etc. etc. I see they are indeed in the same family but yours is very much bigger than ours.

    Lovely photos of the flowers, in fact lovely photos throughout, the sea is so beautifully blue! Of course I'm sure you can guess which photos I enjoyed the most though ;) What a lovely welcome home! Such a treat to get such a lovely view of your very dapper dinner guest :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Well you certainly know how to predict magical days. beautiful photos (and video) one and all. Your yellow-rumped buddy is adorable. Great shot.

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a lovely post about a day I'm sure you'll long remember!
    The photos are wonderful, especially the one of the warbler. I can see why it's your favourite!
    Those tulips provide a real splash of colour don't they. Flighty xx

    ReplyDelete
  4. Last night we had a beautiful orange Moon, unfortunately not in the right place for a photo.

    The woodland garden souns, and looks, to be a magical place to go.

    All topped off with a cracker of a photo of your Yellow-Rumped Warbler.

    ReplyDelete
  5. You take wonderful photographs.... especially the birds. It's nice to see spring on the other side of the pond!
    xxx

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi ShySongbird ~ So pleased you were able to enjoy the magic with me. Interesting about the other plants that are related to the Skunk Cabbage. Despite its name, it can look magnificent, especially when the sun highlights the beautiful yellow.

    As was obvious, I'm sure, I was just thrilled to see the warbler and have the photo turn out so well :) He was back today, but couldn't get a good angle to take a photo.

    Hi Hilary ~ Full moon magic is pretty special ~ thanks for your kind comments re my photos :) I was so happy to see the warbler!

    Hi Flighty ~ I love magical days and was happy to share it! Glad you enjoyed the photos, especially my handsome little warbler :) Those red tulips caught my eye, yes with a bright splash of colour :)

    Hi John ~ Lovely to see an orange moon even if you weren't able to get a photo. The woodland gardens hold all sorts of magical sights, and overlooks the sea. I think their plan is to put in steps down the bluff to the beach. Yes, I was happily surprised to see the yellow rumped warbler and to get a good photo of him :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. What a FANTASTIC over the shoulder shot of that robin. Love the light on its wings.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thanks Nikki ! I caught it unawares ;)

    ReplyDelete