Wednesday 22 March 2017

Early Spring in the Woods

Two weekends ago, I was in the rare situation of spending a weekend on my own, neither travelling to O.K.'s nor he coming to my place. Don't worry, all is well with us - it was simply a case of obligations on his side taking up all of the Saturday and me wanting/needing to do some stuff like cleaning my windows (you really had to open the windows to see whether it was day or night outside) and switching the contents of my wardrobe from the colder to the warmer season.

On the Saturday (11th of March), my Mum, my sister and I went for a walk to enjoy the early spring sunshine. Here are the pictures I took.







By the way, this was almost exactly the same route we took in November 2015, when it was warmer and sunnier than on this Saturday in March! Compare the pictures, if you like - click here for the 2015 post.







After the descent through the woods, the path stretches along the river for a while before, after a slight ascent, it emerges at the steep, rocky, heath-like bit above. From there, it leads along vineyards old and new, with a beck babbling by its side.







You know I have a "thing" for abandoned places, and these former vineyard walls certainly do it for me:







Some are still in use. I showed you these same places in November 2015, too. Click here if you want to see what the vineyards looked like in all their colourful glory then.







We suspect there might be a secret castle underneath all that wild growth, with Sleeping Beauty resting on a bed of faded silk:







We had a break here, with a little snack and some water. It was even warm enough to lay back in the sun, using our coats as blankets:



On we went, now moving back in the direction we had come from, parallel to the path down in the valley where we had been walking before:








Doesn't this look much more like November than March?



At first, the landscape may look rather dull, lacking colour. But if you look closely, you can detect spots of colour everywhere.

Violets:

Helleborus foetidus - it was not at all smelly, in spite of its name:



I will have to rely on my Mum to tell me the name of these - I know they are not aconites:



It was a much more pleasant way of spending a Saturday afternoon than cleaning windows... I still did that afterwards, though. Daylight was fading by that time, and when I looked at my windows again on Sunday morning, I did some of them again.


Now it's time to get some stuff done here at home. I have the day off and will be going out with my sister in about 2 hours.

20 comments:

  1. The yellow flowers must be tussilago/coltsfoot. Usually the first wild spring flower here to show its sunny face :) and I've known it since early childhood. I haven't seen any yet this year... (but then I haven't really been out in "the wild" lately) - Nature always looks so very "dead" in the pre-spring that one almost tends to give up hope of it ever growing green again. But then, at some point - there are those little miracles of flowers and green leaves again!

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    1. Yes. It is Tussilago farfara, in German called Huflattich.

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    2. Dear Monica, "miracle" is the term that came to my mind this morning when I looked at my neighbour's garden from my kitchen window! It looks so pretty right now with little primroses in many different colours, and bunches of daffodils in between. What a contrast to the almost monochrome world of winter!

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  2. What an interesting looking walk. I see what you mean about suspecting a secret castle there, with a sleeping princess - it was reminding me of an ancient city, waiting to be discovered, when I got to that part in your post. I'm pretty useless with colours, but my mother could paint a bit and once pointed out all the different shades and hues where I was only seeing one; I'm better now :-)

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    1. You're right, it does look a bit like the ancient cities buried in the jungle that were discovered in South America and elsewhere. This one, I'm afraid, is probably just an old garden shed underneath. But who knows...

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  3. It's your birthday! Hooray for Meike! Is there a gathering in the works for tonight?

    (I replied again on your precious post, my friend! )

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    1. *previous* not *precious*...hahaha!

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    2. Well I hope at least some of my posts are sort of precious to my readers ;-)

      No party tonight; I shifted it to Saturday, when O.K. can be here as well.

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  4. What a beautiful place, I love the look at pictures. It's like having a tour of your countryside. Here in Sicily it is also getting quite hot.

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    1. Thank you, Francesca! Lucky you! It has cooled down here considerably but is supposed to get warmer again from tomorrow onwards. March and April are usually very unpredictable, so we have to keep our winter coats still ready to wear any time.

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  5. That flower is Tussilago farfara, or Coltsfoot or son-before-father since the flowers come out before the leaves. It grows on the side of the hill I have to drive up on the way home and is always a first sign of spring for me. (And I know it's supposed to be a cold remedy, but have never used it...) I am loving the longer hours of daylight now! Spring is on the way! So glad that you had a chance to go on this great walk with you Mom and sister. On Sunday I am flying to Florida where my dd Emily and her family are renting a house with me for a week. A little ironic to go as winter, such as it was, is pretty much over...But 80 degree weather and the Gulf of Mexico will be very welcome!

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    1. Yes, Kristi, both Monica and my Mum have identified the flower in their comments.
      The longer hours of daylight are wonderful! I do wake up earlier, which is good as things are taking longer at home than usual, what with having to heat water in the kettle before I can wash, or having to go out for a hot shower before work.
      A week in Florida sounds great! Have a safe flight and a wonderful time with your family!

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  6. That was a lovely and interesting walk (going through the enlarged photos) and I can just imagine you and your Mum and your Sister enjoying each others company in the spring setting. The picture of the gate is one with which I am very taken.

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    1. Thank you, Graham! The wall in which the gate is set ends nearly at the same point where the picture ends - I am sure there was a longer wall at some stage, but now one could simply walk around it without having to use the gate.

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  7. Hello Librarian, I sort of know you from your comments on a group of bloggers that I read every day, but I haven't ever come over to see you. I have enjoyed your last few posts and will return when I have more time to go even further back. The walk pictures are great, and I would love that walk with my dog. Oddly, I noticed those yellow flowers only yesterday on one of our regular walks and was going to look up what they are. Tell your elderly neighbour that I thoroughly enjoyed seeing her dolls' house too. It is very beautiful. To finish.....I like the sound of the book about the widower, sorry can't remember it's name now, but will look out for it in the Oxfam book shop where I do a shift. I have just started reading " The Flame Trees of Thika" for book club. I remember the TV series many years ago was very good. ( I live in Harpenden which is between Luton and St. Albans. )

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    1. Hello Frances, how kind of you to stop by and leave a comment! Welcome to my blog!
      I sort of know you likewise - sometimes I think of you as "the other Frances", because I knew Frances Garrood before you :-)
      Thank you for the good feedback on my recent posts. Such a coincidence about the flowers! I have not yet had time to talk to my elderly neighbour about how much her dolls house is appreciated by my readers. The book you mean is called "Mr. Mortimer". I must admit I have never heard of "The Flame Trees of Thika". Is it a Fantasy story?
      Will now return the visit and have a look at your blog before I'll start on the ironing.

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    2. You have probably discovered by now that I don't do a blog myself , but I love reading the ones I know , who feel a bit like friends! Flame trees is an autobiography , set in Africa. Hope to get to know you more now I realise that I like your posts. I don't read many , and prefer people who post most days. We read many in common. Not sure what part of Germany you are in? I have been to Berlin twice. I had a friend who lived there for 5 years. I also did a 2 year German language course for O level many years ago.

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    3. Yes, I was sorry to find out that you do not have a blog, but on the other hand, my reading list is rather long as it is - so there is a small portion of relief in the mix :-)
      I live in south Germany, far away from Berlin, in the Stuttgart area. If you click on the label "Ludwigsburg" on my blog, you will find many posts about my home town.

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  8. Hey Meike! Enjoyed your walk with you! I also loved reading your comments here, regarding the yellow flowers. "Son before father" as a common name for them, as Kristi as told us here, that is a great name, isn't it?
    Now, just noticing the comment by Frances above, aren't you going to SUGGEST that she have her own blog? :-)

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    1. Hey Kay, you are always welcome to walk with us!
      I have not yet tried to "convince" Frances to start her own blog - as I said in my comment, part of me is relieved for my reading list not growing longer than it already is ;-)
      Wishing you a good week with less stress than last,
      Meike

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