The Lily of the Valley from the front garden.

It's still cold here, we turn the heating on and off again, sit in the sun between long rainy periods and basically wait for things to happen. Garden-wise. We just harvested the first radish today.
Most of the glory is still dormant, ready to burst. The spuds have just pushed up through the soil, the strawberries are little hard green marbles.

horse chestnut

This time of the year, the first weeks in May, is called the time of the Ice Saints, an ancient term, based on the irregular weather in early May when this part of the Northern hemisphere can have a cold spell with the odd frosty night. It's apparently coincidental but country lore is country lore and farmers' traditions go a long way here. Ice Saints because almost every day here is a feast day for a saint.  We've just had St. Mamertus, today was St. Pancratius, Monday to Wednesday are St. Servatius, St. Bonifacius and St. Sophie, or "the cold Sophie" - after that, no more frosty nights.

one lonely iris

Occasionally I panic a bit because things do not get  better and I am washed out
then I realise that I am not afraid of this illness anylonger and the rest is coping and not getting bored. I schlepp myself to work but the tiny voice inside my head keeps whispering retirement and sodd it. So I made an appointment with the pension consultant of my union. But don't tell!

The pink stripy clematis.

No idea what these yellow weirdoes are called, Any idea?

whatshallwecallit

asimina (pawpaw) tree blossom

woodruff everywhere this year