In 1739, Charles Wesley captured the essence of the day:
Finally all my daffodils are blooming and I feel compelled to blog about them - I promise this is the last time this spring! They're just so cheery, though, aren't they? And when you pass a large display of them like this one . . .
. . . you must think of William Wordsworth's famous poem, "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" (or I should say I always think of it and then can only recall the first few lines). If you've also been trying to remember this classic spring poem, here goes:
Continuous as the stars that shine
The waves beside them danced; but they
For oft, when on my couch I lie
Please note: the giant daffodil is not real; do not be alarmed! It's actually a beautiful sculpture at nearby Fearrington Village.
As Christians around the world mark the last few days of Lent, the Spanish town of Seville draws crowds of up to one million to witness the centuries old processions of Semana Santa. I've never been to Spain, but would love to see the Holy Week celebrations in Seville. During these eight days, 57 brotherhoods/fraternities process to the Cathedral of Seville carrying floats (two or more per brotherhood) representing the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Christ and the Virgin Mary.
The brotherhoods go back as far as the 14th century and are generally connected to a parish or church and leave from there on their pilgrimage to the Cathedral. There are more than 60 processions in total, with many different routes, often through narrow streets with tight turns. Much practice is needed to successfully maneuver the giant floats which are adorned with flowers, fabric - and even candles - that sway and flicker as the float moves.
Some of the floats date to the 17th century and all are enormously heavy - many weighing more than two tons. They are carried through the streets of Seville on the backs of costaleros who are beneath the floats, hidden from sight. The processions may take up to eight hours and each costalero bears about 100+ pounds while shuffling along in the dark.
On Good Friday the processions begin at midnight and continue throughout the night with large crowds following. The Holy Week processions are so important that apartments overlooking the routes rent and sell for a premium.
So here's hoping I'll be in Seville next year - maybe I'll see you there. And, if you've attended the Semana Santa, I'd love to hear all about it!
For more photographs and a look behind the scenes, visit Spain on Line or Explore Seville or, our usual standby for info, Wikipedia.
Or this adorable Book Lady/Chicken I saw recently at a local book shop (McIntyre's Fine Books - more about it later in the week). Her dress is made of book pages and is the latest in haute couture for the reading crowd!
Or these stunning works from Su Blackwell? Check out her website for more examples of her work and her current exhibitions, including one in New York right now!
It's difficult to choose between her Alice (above, complete with rabbit hole) and the birds below . . .
And what about the work of the amazing Brian Dettmer - see what he does with whole sets of encyclopedias?
Check out his website for galleries that carry his work. If there is one near you, you'll want to drop by!
Okay, so I borrowed a bit of that from Jane Austen, but don't you think it's true? Weekends are great, of course, but Friday holds the promise of the weekend - relaxing Friday night knowing you can sleep in the next day or perhaps starting the weekend a few hours early - that seems more rewarding than Saturday itself . . . The odd thing about this is that I don't even have a regular job now, I'm not committed to a five-day routine, but I still look forward to weekends and wake up on Fridays feeling a bit excited about what might be in store. And today turned out to be a great day - a mid-morning change of plans led to:
Some beautiful spring blooms spotted while I was out and about. The tree-lined drive at the top of this post is stunning in real life, unfortunately this house is on a busy road and it was difficult to get a good picture - this one was taken from the sun roof! As for the flowering shrub below, I can't think of its name - it's been driving me crazy all afternoon. If you can identify it, please help! I'd love to have this in my garden . . .
And finally a detour this afternoon led to the discovery of a book sale for a nearby library. We love book sales and this one was great - lots and lots of well-organized books at ridiculously low prices. Here's our stash (yes, they provided shopping bags and building-to-car umbrella service!). 
So now I'm ending the day with my new (old) books and one of these:
And, I'm not thinking about the things that were left undone because of these last-minute diversions. After all, what's the point of a play-day if you're going to feel guilty later?
You might remember the store-bought version (from Nabisco, I think). These are so much better. Plus, a friend told me those were actually called 'Brown Edge Cookies' so perhaps the people at Nabisco were embarrassed at their grammar mistake and decided to halt production (although the folks at Reynolds don't seem to notice their mistake with 'Wax Paper' - I mean if the paper was made of wax as the name implies it wouldn't work very well . . . but, enough about my pet grammar peeves).
I hope you'll try these this weekend - I'm off to make a pot of tea and have one now!
Okay, we're talking about the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency - if you've read the books you know I really mean Mma and not Ma, but since watching the great television adaptation I just think of it as Ma. And who hasn't read at least one of the books? For a while they were a staple of every book club and always on the best seller lists. And there are lots of them, so if you get hooked on authors or series (as I often do!), Alexander McCall Smith is a great choice for you.
If you don't subscribe to HBO or have access to BBC programming, you possibly missed the fabulous TV version - but it's available on DVD, so add it to your must-watch list! It's one of the best adaptations I've seen on the big or small screen. Jill Scott is perfect as Mma Ramotswe - yes, I said perfect!
And as you expect from the BBC, the production is first-rate. The cast and locales are exactly as you imagine when you read the novels - right down to the ubiquitous bush tea! But, not to worry if you haven't read the books - they aren't a pre-requisite for enjoying the show. And, the series has two advantages over the books: a great soundtrack and cheery and clever animated titles. Airside designed beautiful opening / closing titles that reflect the action and characters in each episode. Click here for their website or here to see the titles complete with music.
So, if you're looking for a good book or show - check out the No. 1 Ladies. If you're a fan of the books or television series, I'd love to hear from you!
As are these that were blowing in the wind this afternoon (yes, it sounds nice, but it makes the photographers job a bit tough).
Here's what I wanted to show you, though - these are doubles. That's right, two blooms on each one!
And finally, here's a picture of a nest that I hoped was something unique. Boy was I wrong! It's a squirrel's nest (apologies to squirrel lovers) - and an old one at that . . . What this tree needs is gentrification, perhaps replace this nest with a cardinal's nest - then I'll have a nice photo to share!
Hope your week is off to a nice start!
Yesterday my husband and I spent the day in nearby Winston-Salem - it's about an hour away and a great place for a one-day getaway (or staycation, in 2009 parlance!). There are several antique shops that we like to investigate, including the one where we bought our giant pickle crock. No luck this time, however (although that could also be interpreted as lucky). We stopped at Old Salem and while walking through the town saw this vine. 
On closer inspection, you'll see what we saw - it's weeping! Many vines 'weep' when pruned, especially this time of year. I'm not sure if this vine was pruned yesterday or the day before, but it was certainly 'bleeding sap' (as old gardening books say). 
The vine itself was very pretty - bare and twisted and intricately surrounding the fence. But when the drops of sap caught the sunlight, it was positively sparkling. The sap from some vines is an irritant while the sap from grape vines is used in cosmetics (in French it's called les vignes pleurent - doesn't that sound nicer than grape vine sap?). Companies like Caudalie use many parts of the grape plant, including the seeds and sap, in products that tone, firm, and cleanse. So, if you have vines to prune this Spring, watch for the oozing sap . . . you might even check your favorite garden book or website beforehand to see if the sap is harmful or beneficial - it could keep you from weeping!
Do you like pita bread? I'm guessing you said yes, because who doesn't like it? The next question is a bit trickier . . . have you ever baked pita bread? No? It's so easy . . . since first trying this recipe last week, I've baked it twice. Yum!
I saw this recipe several months ago at The Fresh Loaf and am glad I finally baked it. It's the easiest yeast bread I've ever made and a great recipe to try if you are new to baking. And if you have kids I think they will like this because you put the dough in the oven as flat circles and in five minutes it's puffed into the two-sided pita we know and love. To be honest, I rather like watching this myself . . .
You can get the full recipe here at The Fresh Loaf, plus there are step-by-step photos and lots of good info. (FYI - I used half wheat flour and half regular and loved the results!) While taking pictures of my pitas in the bread basket, I was reminded of the Operation game - remember the bread basket? It turns out this game is still pretty popular and has its own Wikipedia page.
I learned quite a few things about Operation today - first, the original 1965 version featured a smoking doctor on the box. This is now prized by collectors. Look at the doctor - isn't he scary?
Second, Operation-themed costumes are pretty popular - that's something to keep in mind next October. Finally, there are websites that show you how to turn the Operation board into other games. I'm not including links to those because if you're that kind of Mr. Fix-it person you'll know where to find these instructions . . . and if you're not, I don't want to be responsible for injuries when you re-wire the board. (It's not fun when your nose lights up!)
And when it was opened, it revealed true treasure, and not just the 'valuable to a fan' kind of treasure. But, the treasure of legends - gold, silver, diamonds!
The box contained 50 gold coins and the jewelry seen above. The ring is thought to be Christie's mother's engagement ring. What a marvelous surprise! And for those of us who think all the great antiques have been discovered - here's proof we're wrong. So, find an auction near you and look for hidden treasure . . .
Click here to read the entire story or click here for details on visiting Agatha Christie's home, Greenway, seen above (including the mural painted by an American GI during WWII).
As for me, I'm off to look for treasure of a smaller kind . . . my well-read copy of 4:50 from Paddington.
Dear March, come in!
For the first time in several years the blooms were not damaged by late ice or frost - and so they are perfectly white and really lovely in the stark winter landscape. 
If you're looking for a small ornamental tree (zones 4-9), consider this graceful early bloomer. It's easy to grow and, according to a neighbor, easy to propagate . . . I'll be trying this myself in a few weeks and will let you know!
