Hello Spring!

C-R-E-A-K! goes the door lately used so little. Swirls of dust motes dance in the shafts of sunlight peeking through the lace. Stillness breaks with each footfall as I enter this slumbering blog. Time has passed . . . but I slip comfortably into the familiar wisteria-laden cottage and set the tea kettle to boiling in ready for a visit with you.

I sincerely appologize for such a long absence. It seems my last posting snuck in right before my computer contracted something nasty and locked the hard disc into a catatonic state -- bother! My husband, resident expert, discerned that a start-up code has mysteriously been changed, but he has been unable to locate the start-up discs (if you saw his mad-cap office you wouldn't ask); and so I languish without my trusty blogging companion. If the hard disc has failed entirely I will have lost so much . . . I just won't think about that now. [Tosses hair and flecks back worry.]

In the meantime . . . I sit here with a teeny-tiny netbook that has NO word processing capability; thus I must suffer through Blogger's inferior offering with NO spell check and NO proper viewing capacity. (Did I mention that this computer screen is miniscule? How irritating to be thrust from first-class to coach with no warning. And so I babble . . . )

TRA-LA! sings the tea kettle and I instantly brighten. A good hot cuppa tea should be just the fix for my whinge. Let's have white rose tea -- MMMmmmm! Perfume in a cup -- and I am sure I can find a thumbelina cookie or two amongst the leftovers from yesterday's tea with Rachel's piano teacher. Such a delight to see those two musicians happily at play on the new piano. I stopped all activity whilst they had lessons, choosing to sit in an adjacent room enjoying the spirit of adventure played upon keyboard. Such a treat!

Oh my, how my mind wanders these days. Now where did those cookies get to? A-hah! Luscious buttery cookies with a thumb-print dollop of jewel-toned jam set my mouth to watering every time. Elizabeth's delicate oven-artistry graced the tea table yesterday alongside the cream cheese and dill sandwiches she hastily substituted when she found that I had used the last cucumber and the crisper stood bare. She's a clever one! Sadly, not a one of the sandwiches remains for us to nibble upon as we chat together now.

So . . . where did we leave off the last time? Oh, yes! I was preparing to embark upon a visit to my sweet sister in North Carolina. I have gone and returned, having had such fun enjoying a Thursday-through-Monday slumber party, but it can sure take its toll! I returned home happily exhausted, looking forward to her trip out here in early May. Late night giggling and talking, games of Rummy Kub and Saygo, sumptuous dining, visits to local attractions, and lots of hugs filled our time to overflowing with joy. I never wanted it to end, and so (as usual) we began planning the next get-together before I zipped my suitcase closed for the return trip.

Returning home I found loving embraces, a tidy hearth, and SNOW! A few inches fell while I slept that first night home. Hrmph! So much for springtime fantasies. We've had to await a sunny stretch of time to assemble the green house. We waited maaaaaany days. In the wait time I polished off a few books, my favorite of the lot being Elizabeth Goudge's The Scent of Water. In between the reading and the bread baking and all the rest I did whistfully ponder blog thoughts to share with you, but my stubborn little self held out for my comfy computer. I thought about chatting enthusiastically about the fine version of Bleak House we recently viewed on DVD and then the DVD series Lark Rise to Candleford eclipsed that enthusiasm and has held it steady as we watch an episode each night, savoring the beauty and tranquility and sweetness of Flora Thompson's biographical novels come to life. We are but a mere handful of episodes into the delightful telling of country life versus town life in England on the cusp of the Industrial Revolution. Clever writing, honest living, wonderful costumes, detailed sets (I adore the shots of the well-appointed kitchens), adorable characters, and so much more of what we have come to expect from a good tale-telling from across the pond have filled that one-hour of delightful viewing when day draws to a close. Grab your family and a little nibble of something delicious and sit down to quality viewing time. [End of commercial ; D ]

Oh there I go again . . . I have a serious rambling problem these days. The sun has come out for a full week, the greenhouse has risen from a scattering of boxes and baggies, and now the seed packets and egg cartons have come out to dance. Spring has arrived today and not even the cloud covering that cloaks the heavens can stop us from celebrating. Oh wait! I see a bright shaft of sun breaking through the grey cotton thickness . . . surely we will need a spot of sunscreen after all! Oh joy!

I have a hearty bean soup a-bubble on the stove, a crusty loaf for slicing, and a variety of fruits on hand for slicing; I am free to play in the gardens ALL DAY and still lay the table with bounty at supper's time. A little planning ahead gives me leeway to play, and after this long winter's visit I eagerly embrace the springtime. Daffodils dance in the meadows, camellias burst forth later than usual but with the same aplomb, and I can no longer stay seated here inside.

The tea pot has emptied and my household has filled up with activity and bustle in celebration of SPRING! I shall be dancing away just now, but I will leave you with some pics of our latest garden project that happily carries us further along toward our goal of supplying as many of our needs as possible from our own lands and hands. I shall be smudged and sore by day's end, I am sure, but when I settle down with a cuppa tea to take in another episode of Lark Rise to Candleford I will sigh with satisfaction after welcoming Spring so aptly.

Happy Spring, Dear Friends!