The magnificent month of March

This month it's been hard sometimes to keep remembering that it is only March. Spring seems very early this year and as for the weather - the only time I remember a warm spell in March since moving here nearly 10 years ago was in 2005, when I was painting the chicken and duck sheds wearing shorts! It has been a joy to see many butterflies and bumble bees around and welcome the return of the summer birds. The Chiffchaffs are very noisy but I enjoy hearing them, and in the last few days the Blackcaps have returned and started singing their far more melodic song.

There are few leaves on the trees around here but we have only to drive south towards Rennes which is always more advanced in spring, and it is quite green looking. But we have it all to look forward to and there are already leaves unfurling on one of the Horse Chestnuts and on some of the ornamental Prunus trees, which have been a joy with their blossom. I'm still desperately trying to catch up with the garden but I think it is better this way, than to be ahead and waiting for spring to catch me up! 

Purple Leafed Prunus, which now has more leaves than flowers.

The Forsythias started off looking like they weren't going to be
much of a show but I was proven wrong, thankfully!

The first daffodils are going over but new ones are opening up like this small narcissus.

The weather wasn't always kind, and we had a cool spell with some frosty mornings until a couple of days ago. I captured a few scenes from my 2nd floor shower room, which is the only upstairs window looking out over the back.

Stormy skies moving in....

Ominous sky coming in from the west.
The tree with blossom in the middle is Prunus subhirtella.

But many days we had skies like this:

Damson blossom. Cross fingers for some fruit this year as
last year was rubbish for any kind of plum.

Prunus subhirtella with much larger blooms in the spring than
the small single ones it has during mild winter spells.

Prunus subhirtella again with a silhouette of
my huge old cherry tree in the distance.

I can't remember ever having plum blossom open in March before, but all three of my mature trees are in full bloom!

Greengage blossom.

A zoom through my grubby living room window to the peach blossom in my orchard
and the sheep in the paddock beyond.

In my woodland I have Celandine instead of grass in many places
and it's been flowering for what seems like ages.

And now a few pictures of the ducks, just because I have pictures of them! I missed capturing any of the wild mallards that have been visiting, as they are so wary and see me before I see them. Then they fly practically vertically up and over the trees and off they go. The best way to watch them is through the kitchen window!

The ducks are full of the joys of spring and Dirk is having his wicked way with all of them!

Dirk, my drake Saxony.

Rachel the Rouen.

The other two on the far bank, Doris the Saxony and Freckles the white mixed breed duck.

Freckles is old and needs more time to rest. :-)

Now April is nearly upon us so it's full steam ahead in the veg patch for me as it's ready for planting now.