Tuesday 5 May 2009

Those darling buds of May



At the end of April I picked the first peonies from our garden. Beautiful, blowsy blooms greeting every passerby as they walked past our front garden. Heralding in, what I hope will be, a lovely May. Here they sit on a table in my living room enjoying the sun from the bay window.



And then on Friday along came May, perhaps one of my favourite months of the year. A month that is full of excitement, you can almost smell the hint of summer on the horizon, the garden bursts into life. In many ways this photos shows exactly what I love about May, the beautifully soft pink of the apple blossom against the green stems of the angelica and the wonderful angelica heads, perfect in their symmetry yet sitting somewhat higgledy piggledy in the corner of a blossoming flower bed and petal strewn lawn.



There is a sense that things are returning to their natural place,



Little Sister regains her favourite reading spot in the apple tree



and here by the sea the Brighton Festival begins.



Saturday morning bright and early we walked to an almost deserted seafront before the children's parade begins. A chance to savour the very short stillness of the place. Just a few moments later, the city is heaving with visitors, families, schools, samba bands as the children take centre stage and parade through the city to open the Festival.
For us it is always a chance to catch up with old friends. We've had a weekend of fresh air, walking and coming home with friends to eat and chat with them.



With very rosy (sunburnt) faces we drove over to here on Sunday. We met some friends and walked over the Downs, saw plenty of these



More of these than I've seen in a very long time




Walked tentatively through fields of these...



And spotted the reddest, handsomest fox going for a Sunday constitutional, we hope not in search of his lunch.



Picnicked on the cliff tops, took deep breaths and admired the view.



A lazy day at home yesterday, feeling tired but good. I looked over at the somewhat bleached peonies and



oh how they reminded me of those crepe paper decorations we used to have at Christmas when I was little, the ones we would put up in our classroom and watch them fade over the weeks - the rolls of crepe paper that you would still find in the local sweet shop months after the event, sitting tiredly in the corner sunbleached, colour fading and yet still tantalisingly attractive.



I want to thank you, yet again, for all the lovely, kind and supportive comments I've been getting recently, it has made a real difference. I am going to make a determined effort to get back into some kind of normal blogging routine and am so looking forward to visiting you all again. In the meantime, please pick one of my peonies to put beside your computer. the roses aren't yet blooming so I can't pass you a ragged rose to share, just yet...

32 comments:

melanie said...

Beautiful photo's and a lovely post.xxx

Tracy said...

Sensational photos, Kim...they show the real essence and heart of springtime joy! April it like a prelude, but May is the sonata, picking up where the prelude began...May the queen of springtime. Enjoy! Happy Days :o) ((HUGS))

LissyLou said...

What lovely photos! A really sunny spring post x

Sal said...

I agree with you about May..it's a wonderful month.
Breathtaking views from the clifftop,Kim!
Thank you for the Peony!
;-)

Simone said...

I am glad you had a lovely restorative kind of weekend.x

Mary Poppins said...

I adore Peonies, my favorite :)

Don't tell me off but I picked a couple of bunches of blue bells from the country lane they looked so sweet and shouted out for me to help myself ;) There were hundreds.

Enjoy your day

X

Thimbleanna said...

Oh, you lucky girl! Your peonies are just beautiful. We still have several weeks before we see any blooms. And how wonderful would it be to go on a walk with you? Wait -- I just did -- thank you!

Gina said...

Such beautiful cheery photos. My peonies haven't flowered yet. Just s few pale pink buds waiting to open.

julie said...

Gorgeous photos - really captured the essence of May - the sunny days with real warmth to them are just wonderful aren't they ?

Sounds like a lovely weekend in the Roses household, glad you all had such a good time. x

My Little Corner said...

It sounds like you have had a lovely blissful bank holiday weekend :)

Floss said...

What a beautiful post. I've just discovered your blog and I really enjoyed my time spent learning about your weekend. I also note you've got 'The Provincial Lady in Wartime' on your reading list - the whole set are on my 'favourite books' list! The wartime one is somehow so positive, where the earlier ones seemed so inwardlooking. I hope you really enjoy it!

A bientot from France!

periwinkle said...

what a lovely walk , so many cute lambs at this time of year.
lisa x

Cowboys and Custard Mercantile said...

I am so glad you had a restorative weekend my friend..
Your photos are as gorgeous as ever and so tantalising..
I would so loved to have seen Mr Tod too...I have a soft spot for the cunning old fox.

May is bursting with life, vibrancy and a taste of summer... enjoy!

Dxx

Anonymous said...

Hello Kim
Thank you for your lovely comment on my blog. I have so enjoyed visiting yours, your photographs are glorious!
I put up a peony bud on my post today, I just can't wait for them to bloom.
Yours already have! I guess you live in a much sunnier spot than me.
Your blog is very beautiful x
Sumea

{Love, Love, Love} said...

What beautiful photos you take, Kim!
Our garden is going mad at the moment and strangly enough, I was just admiring our own peonies before coming in and reading this post! x

Pipany said...

Oh that was gorgeous! I really enjoyed your post and I love May too. Just perfect x

Louise said...

Your peonies are lovely Kim, and way ahead of mine. We visited the Seven Sisters Country Park yesterday and cycled down to Cuckmere Haven! We were the wrong side of the river to see the Seven Sisters! x

Carol said...

Kim I have always loved peonies, I had a lots of them in my old house, all colours. Sadly I did not bring any to this house.
We have booked to go to the Brighton Breeze on 17th October, really looking forward to a trip to Brighton.
Carol x

driftwood said...

what a gorgeous portrayal of your weekend, and little sister looks amazing in amongst the apple blossom, what a great place xx

lady m said...

Kim,

Absolutely beautiful photos :)

Thank you for sharing your joy for the month of May!

blessings,

lady m

A time to dance said...

Your photos are wonderful...I love the one of your daughter in the tree....I am so glad you are feeling better...I am sure the sun and the colours of glorious flowers are the best tonic of all...have a good week...H

Rowan said...

A lovely post KIm, it really captures the feeling of May. The paeonies are so beautiful and so is the wonderful Sussex countryside.

Gone to Earth said...

Wow! That post was feast of tranquilty and colour I could almost hear the birds and the buzzing insects about the place. I love peonies... such blousy prettiness. May is definately a month of promise.

Suzie Sews At DOTTY RED said...

peony, my fav. flower, my garden ones do not come out till June......I know this as I always pick them for my birthday:) Simple pleasures....

Jacoline said...

Thanks for the great peonies. The look great next to my comouter.

Unknown said...

My poenies are still in big fat bud; mind you, it's a north-facing garden. Sussex weather was fantastic over the weekend wasn't it...hope this weekend cheers up.
Also thanks for your kind words on my blog about my paintings...feeling bit low artistically, so was lovely to hear.
x Philippa

Anonymous said...

Hi there, I am hosting a book swap over on my blog. It is a permanent feature, which will always be on my blog, it is not a one off, like the rose theme swap I'm hosting. I have listed a load of my books which I am willing to swap, take a look, there may be some you fancy. If you would like to list books which you no longer want, and are willing to swap, just contact me at rosehyacinth@hotmail.co.uk, or leave a comment on my blog, with your name, the name of your blog and the books you wish to swap, and I will type them up and post them on the swap page, so the more and more people who participate, the wider the range of books there will be to choose from, and remember, it will always be there on my blog.
Take Care
Love Melanie xxx

Emily said...

It just looks breath-taking there! I'd LOVE to visit sometime. The cliffs are amazing :)

Lisa said...

Beautiful photos and a post filled with fresh spring air.
Thanks for your message.
Take care
Lisa x

Amanda and Tim said...

Can you believe when I was a child I hated the peony in m parents back garden?! I don't know why exactly - I think it was a combination of the shade of pink and green together plus how big the flowers were... now of course I admire them - I must have acquired a gardener's taste because I also used to detest going to a garden centre of a Sunday and now I will happily go to one any day of the week lol

Helen Charlton said...

Gosh, I can't believe you've picked peonys already, we are about three weeks behind you,up here in Durham. We have only just got our bluebells!!

Suzy's Vintage Attic said...

Hello Kim
I have not been to Sussex for years! I was born in West Sussex. I love the photos, you went to some beautiful places, just my kind of day out too. I have been behind with blogging and enjoyed catching up with the previous posts. The photo of your daughter in amongst the dandelions is a favourite of mine, really nicely captured. I am so pleased with the beautiful scented mini cushions that I have bought from you.
Have a great weekend
Take care
Isabelle x