Spring Trickles In

It hasn't been winter for a while, yet it sure hasn't felt all that springlike in the past couple of weeks. Despite the cold, and occasional flurry of snow or day-long downpour, it's still pleasant enough to get out for a walk every now and then. Of course, I always have my camera along.

This little sweetie fell truly, deeply, madly in love with Benny and did not want to leave his side no matter how anxious her person might have been to move along.

Eventually she decided to just sit and wait. She wasn't going anywhere until we walked along with them, or until Benny was out of sight and presumably out of mind.

Occasionally, there are a few true signs of spring - like these buds which are slowly emerging from a tree outside my window, in my neighbour's yard. I can see it from where I sit at the computer, and notice that its growth is painfully slow each day. But at least it is making progress.

Typically, robins are true harbingers of spring but for the past couple of years, I've been seeing them hang around late into December or early January, and then return again in late February, after a brief absence. Still, they're always lovely to see as they get busy for the nesting season.

After a particularly rainy day, water droplets could be found everywhere. I like how they gather and cling to these colourful, red branches. It helps to brighten up an otherwise dreary day.

That's it for now. I'm always happy to have you along for a walk. Thanks for joining me.

I'll be mostly away from the computer for a few days, but will try to follow up on comments and visits as time permits.

Spring Bling

“And the day came when the risk to remain in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to bloom.” ~ Anais Nin





“Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May.” ~ William Shakespeare





“Thought is the blossom; language the bud; action the fruit behind it” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson





"Let a thousand flowers bloom and we'll see what flourishes.” ~ Clara Hemphill





“Here and there you'd see a tree that was budding or grass trying to grow. There was hope.” ~ Carolyn Hunter





"It is not only fine feathers that make fine birds." ~ Aesop





"A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song." ~ Chinese Proverb





"Use the talents you possess - for the woods would be a very silent place if no birds sang except for the best." ~ Henry Van Dyke





"When I see a bird that walks like a duck and swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, I call that bird a duck." ~ Richard C. Cushing





"To listen is an effort, and just to hear is no merit. A duck hears also." ~ Igor Stravinsky





"Be like a duck. Calm on the surface, but always paddling like the dickens underneath." ~ Michael Caine





"If you keep your feathers well oiled the water of criticism will run off as from a duck's back."
~ Ellen Henrietta Swallow Richards