A Sunday Afternoon Drive

 It was a beautiful sunny day on Sunday, so after church in the morning we headed off for the afternoon.  Our destination was Big Bay, a tiny little ragged village strung out among the trees, on the distant shore of Georgian Bay, some distance north of Owen Sound.

This is the ancient Algonquin glacial lake shoreline, a significant hill to the west of Meaford.  After the flat sand plains the apple trees so enjoy, you can't miss it.

We had an ice storm here two weeks ago, so on the higher bits of the landscape you could see a fair bit of damage, trees and branches down.

We eventually dipped down over the Niagara Escarpment into Owen Sound.  I've never got into the habit of photographing meals, but we did stop at a new pancake restaurant and really enjoyed our meal.  Then it was all the way through town and out the west end, turning to head north.

Once we got on the back roads we started to spot things.  These are Coltsfoot, one of the earliest spring wildflowers, often confused with Dandelions.  But with Dandelions the leaves come first; with Coltsfoot the flower comes first, and in my view they are one of the most beautiful spring wildflowers.

One of Mrs. F.G.'s favourite spring plants is Red Osier Dogwood, noticeable because the stems turn bright red as spring arrives.  It tends to form large patches especially where the ground is a little wet, but you can't miss those red stems.

We passed a curve, dropped downhill, and there was Georgian Bay - well, Owen Sound (the water body, not the city), brilliant blue in the afternoon sun.

We turned left and followed the shoreline for a distance before turning back inland, choosing the back roads to get to Big Bay.

More Flowers

The world here is coming alive with colour, and a few green leaves can't be far behind.  It's still the Daffodils that are the highlight for me, but there are a number of other flowers coming into bloom.

Clustered around our Birch tree are a number of Hyacinths, one of the most fragrant plants in the garden.

We have both pink and blue one, and they both, along with a Daffodil or three, ended up in a small bouquet beside my computer the other day.

We have a couple of small patches of Scilla out back.

And one unusual 'species' tulip.

And then there are the plants just emerging - this is one of our big Peonies.

And I think this is our pink Bleeding Heart.

Hellebores

We do grow lots of flowers besides Daffodils!   One of the most interesting is the Hellebores.  Commonly known as Lenten Rose or winter Rose, they have no relationship to the rose family.  But in our area they are one of the earliest spring flowers, this year the earliest, so we often think of them as Easter Rose.

This is a young plant, with only a few blooms and small leaves.  One of its main limitations is that the flowers hang downwards, preventing you from getting a good view of them.  Or of course they are facing away from me and my camera!

So I tried a back view, but this blossom is looking a little bedraggled.

In contrast, this is our original plant, quite large now, with dozens of blooms.  You can see how the leaves form in a whorl, unusual among flowers. and quite distinctive.  It's also evergreen in our experience, though it does get buried by snow.

So yesterday while I was out on the patio, Mrs. F.G. ruffled the blooms and I was able to get this photo showing the dark rich purple on the interior pf the blooms.  It's really very pretty when looked at from below.

This is one of our newest plants, an interesting pink shade.  Now they are bred to point upwards rather than hang down.  I'm not sure that's an improvement!

Daffodils!

They're the major sign of spring here at our house.  Their bright yellow flowers are just like sunshine after a long cold winter.  While they're not all in full bloom yet, they are quickly getting there!

It was a glorious April morning here yesterday, sunny and bright.  Still cold but it warmed up enough that I was able to ride home from the library in the afternoon without freezing!

Out back the first two Daffodils are blooming, but they're all looking bright yellow.

Mrs. F.G. planted these at the front corner of the house.  I can't see them, but she got a picture for me.

After physiotherapy I went down to the library, and outside found these Daffodils.  It's not often I'm able to get this close to a blooming flower!

And this morning our little patch of Daffodils out back is looking ever more yellow.  Hurray for spring; I'll be able to be out riding for the next six months!

The Promise of Spring

The spring flowers are bursting at the seams here, just tantalizing us with their swelling buds, but not quite blooming.  And it hasn't snowed again in five whole days!  Spring for me is not just the spring flowers blooming, but the anticipation!  And may the snow be finished by now!

Yes I have to record this, but the Daffodils don't seem to mind and recover quickly!

In the back yard, the first of what will be many Primrose is in bloom.

This is the first of the umbrella Primrose, which has somehow found its way through the leaves.

And the Hellebore are starting to look like themselves.

There's one Broad-leaved Grape Hyacinth in bloom.

And the Daffodils are oh so close!

The Forsythia will bloom in a day or two too.

Out front the buds of the Hyacinth are ready to unfold.  I'm almost counting the hours for some of these!

Down Nelson West

Nelson West is one of my favourite rides, but one I avoid much of the summer.  It's a favourite because of the startling variety of older homes, from big to tiny.  And it's one I avoid because there's a 200 yard stretch of pavement that is simply absurd!  It's called 'alligator pavement' and it makes riding a wheelchair both painful and difficult.

But the other day I ventured forth, largely to look for any changes.  This is a Heather just coming into bloom.

There's one house with very nice gardens, here a patch of yellow Crocus.

They also had a very few Snowdrops.

And a small patch of Squill.

After that I was hard-pressed to find any more spring flowers, but this old tractor was still there.  Hasn't moved in at least 7 years.

A combination of Canadian patriotism and Easter I think.

And my favourite old barn.

Here at Home

 After my ride the other day Mrs. F.G. practically chased me out of the kitchen onto the back deck and patio when I got home.  I rode down the ramp and she started moving pots so I could get close to the Crocus for pictures.  These are the Crocus I see in the distance from the window.  It was fairly warm and the sun was shining so it was a great opportunity to get some quick shots.

We've got a mixture of bright yellow, blue and white Crocus out in the back garden.

They certainly provide a bright spark of colour in the early spring!

I had almost forgotten that we have a dense patch of those brilliant royal blue dwarf Iris, my favourite spring flower.

And one more, yellow Crocus right below my bedroom window.  Spring is definitely here!

Around the Block

 Got out for my first slightly longer ride on Saturday, and really enjoyed it.  Looking for signs of tree buds showing up, but found nothing, just a few spring flowers in a friend's garden.  I'll be heading out after I post this again - it's 17°C here!  A heatwave for April!

Let me see now.  Blogger has loaded these in the reverse order I intended.  I wonder if I can write the post backwards.  It was a beautiful and warmish day, about 8°, so with my jacket I was fine.

A big Willow I passed, showing off its bright yellow colour.

Down the street I went.  Everything was pretty clean, and the sky was blue!

A tall White Birch I pass, it reddish twigs almost ready to send out those tiny leaves.

At my friend's house I snapped some tiny Snowdrops.

And another nice patch of those beautiful tiny blue Iris.

On my return trip I passed the hospital and the line of tall trees marking the top of the ravine - actually the top of that Nipissing shoreline, which in this location is well forested.

A couple more nice maples that turn beautiful orange in the fall.  This is one of my favourite rides in the summer, taken when I just feel like a shorter ride.