Meanwhile, back in the garden

It's like a race against time here trying to catch up with the garden, especially now our run of good weather is about to come to an end, with the return of rain and colder weather forecast for Friday onwards. It's been wonderful working outside and hearing buzzy bees and watching butterflies flitting about and listening to the birds singing. But I haven't been reaching for the camera - nope, too much to do! I did manage to take some photos last week especially for sharing, but the rest of the time I am concentrating on getting the garden in order. And anyway, sometimes you need a rest from your camera. Yes really!

Most spring colour is around the front of the house where all my Euphorbias are, most of the daffodils, and a number of spring flowering shrubs in front of the boring Leylandii hedge. 

Can you tell that I love my Euphorbias yet?
These flowers are covered in flies - and spiders!

My Forsythias are a bit pathetic this year
as I gave them a harsh chopping back last year.
I do this about every 3 years when they get too big.
The little bulbs in the foreground are the ones shown below.

Glory of the Snow (Chionodoxa) bulbs.

A Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis) on a Glory of the Snow flower.
There are lots of these spiders on the Euphorbias as well.

The Euphorbias against the house wall are all self seeded.
The stump is the remains of the Mimosa which kept getting frosted.

Most of the Aubretias that I planted years ago have disappeared
but this one survives underneath a large Lavender.

The tree that I call the 'Purple Leafed Prunus' - common as muck
and wonderful at this time of year! This is the first time it has
flowered really profusely since I planted it about 5 years ago.

I have tons of these double daffodils that came with the house;
the more interesting ones which I planted will flower later.

A pink Primrose, which has spread seed and there are many
around this area with tones of pink now!

But I still love the originals best which just glow, especially the ones growing naturally
in the grass which look cheerful even on a cloudy day.

Dried Hydrangea flowers revisited. I guess it's time to snip them off!
This is the time of year I dread harsh frost
which will get those tender new leaves.

Peach blossom is out now - one of my favourite blossoms.

Japonica or Flowering Quince (Chaenomeles) by the lake.

I could have done with the big zoom lens here!
The moorhens are very active and have already built a nest.

I don't have much opportunity to get close to the ducks since they don't leave the vicinity of the pond any more. However one day I found Freckles lying on the bank up the woodland end and as I crept closer to her I wondered if she was injured as she was not moving away from me. I needn't have worried, she was just chilling out and when I got too close for her liking she slid off into the water and sailed away!

Freckles, my old white duck, about 7.5 years old now.

And off she sails into the evening light.