We had a spring last year.
The sun shone and plants had sex.
Some people did, too … though not me of course.
And as per usual the Wisteria at St.Giles Church were out in mid April.
This year we have had a grinding, relentlessly dull, dreary and rainy late winter dragging us into the depths of depression and bitter resentment for month after miserable month.
"The rain it raineth every day" ("I stole that from Willie the Shake*")
But at long last: two whole days without a cloud!
Two! Count 'em! Two whole glorious fucking sunny days!
Suddenly it's stinkingly hot and the wisteria have woken up to realise it's almost smegging June and they should have been frantically shagging for weeks already.
Last night at Tony's gig we spent most of the evening outside on the patio, watching the crescent moon sink into a sapphire sky.
Folk in places like California (hi, guys) take this sort of thing for granted, but as this is the first time we on the east coast of Blighty have seen the sky since February it cast a magical spell that lasted well into the early hours. It was that good. Really. Had there been anybody there willing to mate with me things would indeed have gotten all unnecessary.
As it was I lay on my back with my binoculars, getting my first view of the year of such wonders as M13 and other delights that hide behind the horizon most of the year and only peep out in mid-summer.
Unfortunately, this far north at this time of the year it doesn't get dark enough for decent astronomy until after midnight, and then you've only got a couple of hours before the light starts creeping back into the sky.
Having missed an entire spring-worth of stargazing I'm making the most of what might turn out to be the only clear weekend until winter.
And of course wandering around the city taking photos for the first time in months.
Have a spiffy weekend, people.
Make the most of me being happy. It'll last as long as the sunshine.
11 comments:
Lovely pictures. I'm very happy to see the may blossom out in force at last.
It's bizarre, it's as if we went from winter to summer overnight.
It sure is weird. Summer sucks as bad as winter though. I want my spring! Who do I write to for a refund?
naughty spring flowers
doing it in the church yard
while dive snaps photos
:^D
Lovely.
Here's to blue skies and wisteria! Lovely against the old church. Hope the sunshine sticks around for a while. And some clear nights, too.
Wonderful wisteria! Sorry to boast but we've had a wonderful, long, slow spring. My front porch wisteria was wimpy in flower, yet prolific in vine. The roses are having more sex around here.
Oh, I'm so glad to see you finally out of your funk. I've missed Your Sweariness - wondering if your back has improved and work is going well.
The pictures of the wisteria are beautiful, Dive, and the sky is gorgeous. What's going on with the church that it has scaffolding on its tower?
Shoot, we hardly had a winter and now we're headed into drought because there are heat warnings over a large swath of the state. It's expected to be in the mid-90s for the 500 tomorrow.
I think you're living in the wrong place, Dive. You're a sun bunny.
Hee hee, Lulu. Nice to see your haiku muse is still on top form.
Mum, yes it was. Too bloody hot, though.
Thank you, Ms.M. WE had another clear night last night, so I'm sleepy as a bear after hibernation this morning. Falling into bed just as it gets light is the astronomer's curse, although it gets light around two-thirty here now so I still got some sleep.
Neetzy, I'm glad you had a good spring. I'm hoping for one next year. I wish I could have front porch wisteria; my front is north facing so it's too cold. I had a lovely wisteria at my last place; its favourite trick was dropping spiders in through the bedroom window.
Speedway, I'm still in my funk, but too curmudgeonly to give in to it. My back is now mended enough to hick around without my stick (yay), thank you for asking.
As for the scaffolding: most of our churches are getting on for a thousand years old (many are much older) and they need a lot of maintenance. St.Giles is currently enjoying the tender ministrations of a bunch of stonemasons tidying up the south front of the tower.
Enjoy race day! Wish I were there.
Petrea, much as I love sunshine and clear skies, I hate heat. Spring here is usually perfect for me, but this year it got cancelled. Probably something to do with government cutbacks. Plus, seeing the sun so rarely - as we do here - makes us appreciate it a lot more. If I lived in Pasadena I'd spend most of my time indoors with the air-con blasting.
Tempting, though …
Have you tried a sleep mask? When I spent my month in Oxford I found one at the drug store and wore it every night. I'd never have slept otherwise, as darkness came so late and dawn came so early. I got used to it and I still use it.
They have a drug store in Oxford? Yikes!
I don't have any trouble sleeping in daylight; it's staying awake that's generally the problem.
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