From this day on the days will get longer, thank goodness. On these dark rainy days I get the wood stove going to make sure we don’t need to use electricity for cooking or hot water, and hope we can get through to the next day without having to use the generator.
It’s a warm winter so far with no frosts as yet, so we have roses blooming at the same time as the earlier spring bulbs are starting to pop up.
Please forgive the quick phone snaps. Life has been crazy busy and if I get the camera out I will never get to doing the post.
Thanks to Cathy at Rambling in the Garden for continuing to host this theme, even in the midst of getting ready for opening her garden to the public.
Absent Gardener 
So great to see spring bulbs as we start our summer! Your vase framed by the wonderful view is quite something.
Thank you! I always love to see the spring bulbs in the Northern hemisphere as we are in the hot dry the end of summer here.
I love the way you have arranged those spring blooms in a tall narrow clear vase. Also the views of your garden and lake/sea beyond are so very beautiful.
Thank you Noelle! Have a wonderful solstice.
A gorgeous and an equally gorgeous view – where do you live?
Hi Annette,
Thank you! I’m on the Kawhia Harbour in New Zealand.
Love the beaker! Happy Solstice.
Happy Solstice to you too!
Talk about a perfect vase for your blooms. 🙂 It is lovely that spring still holding on in your area. Where I live, it went from winter to summer in the blink of an eye.
Where do you live Angie? Winter here in New Zealand feels like going from autumn to spring to me compared to Canada where I grew up. It is even warmer than usual this year and I have started to plant ‘spring’ plants like peas in autumn so I can enjoy them over winter. I am still hoping that we will get at least a couple of frosts before September though.
Oh that last photo is glorious! I thought at first it was a window, but realise it is in a frame so must be a photo or painting – it really sets off that beautifully slim vase with your spring pickings…lovely all round. Thanks for joining us today, Cath
Thanks Cathy, all the best for your open day! Wish I could be there. That is a window, just the lighting and cropping makes it look like a frame 🙂
Oh, so it IS a window – that makes it all the more lovely!!
And thanks, all is ready apart from a few things which have to be done on the day
So nice to see your post, Cath. I love your beaker vase and esp. Narcissus ‘Soileil d’or’ – a favorite that is hard to find these days.
Hi Eliza! The beaker belonged to my partner back when he was a student. Soleil d’or is lovely, a scent which is strong but not overpowering or harsh. I love the scent of the Paper Whites too, but they can be a bit strong.
Seeing what we consider late winter/early spring blooms in my part of the world (coastal Southern California) is a joyful reminder that the miseries our long, hot, dry summer will eventually end and bring us lovely bulb flowers.
Spring bulbs are the most hopeful flowers, sleeping through the harsh weather to return when conditions improve. They make me thankful for the rain in spite of the clouds and muddiness of paths and dogs and clothing 🙂