The Soft Laughter of April

Our spring has come at last with the soft laughter of April suns and shadow of April showers. 

~Byron Caldwell Smith

If I didn't hurry up and post again soon, you'd all think it was still winter in my world.

It isn't.

In fact, it has turned into lovely spring weather.

At least for now.


A couple of weeks back, Carol Anne and I took a day trip into Port Perry, Ontario - less than an hour from home. The day started off sunny, warm and perfectly lovely.






The best part about being a passenger is the opportunity for drive-by shootings - in this case, of a barn which caught my eye.






We arrived at Port Perry just in time to have a bit of a wander before lunch.

After feeding our faces, we looked around at some of the local shops. It's not a large town so we soon ran out of shopping spots and instead, zigged and zagged down a couple of side streets.






One of those streets led us to Ozzy, this adorable eight week old French Bulldog pup.
Correction: Both Theresa and Daryl indicated that they believe that Ozzy is a Boston Terrier. Mine was a guess. I stand corrected. :)






He was irresistible, and he got lots of pats and belly rubs in whilst chewing on fingers and shoes. I managed one last photo of him in the middle of a good shake.






As clouds began to gather, we were indecisive about setting out for a walk which would take us farther from the car. We stuck to the nearby waterfront of Lake Scugog.






It turned out to be the right choice. We knew that rain was expected and those dark clouds approached rather quickly.






There's something beautiful about dark, gloomy skies - especially if you aren't far from shelter.






By now the wind had also begun to pick up so we took that as our clue to get to the car and head home.






Five minutes into the drive, and the windshield looked like this.






But all of that rain and subsequent sunshine soon gave us new growth like this.






And like this.






And this.






And now, when the sun begins to set, the newly-budded trees are ablaze with colour and life once again.

Spring has indeed sprung.

The Beautiful Spring Came

Posts of the Week Follow-up: In my last post which also included the POTWs, I mentioned that if Suldog would repost his story about the lockdown in his neighbourhood of Watertown, Massachusetts, that I would link to it. He did and I have. Right here. Suldog sold this story to The Boston Globe but it has since become unavailable to non-paying visitors. You can read his firsthand account of what it felt like to be under lockdown while the police and SWAT teams searched for the remaining Boston Marathon bomber in his neighbourhood, street and home. Thank you for indulging my mini POTW so that I could include Suldog's A Day in Lockdown in Watertown.

Now, on to some spring photos and quotes.

The beautiful spring came; and when Nature resumes her loveliness, the human soul is apt to revive also. ~ Harriet Ann Jacobs

Behold, my friends, the spring is come; the earth has gladly received the embraces of the sun, and we shall soon see the results of their love! ~Sitting Bull





I glanced out the window at the signs of spring. The sky was almost blue, the trees were almost budding, the sun was almost bright. ~ Millard Kaufman





Every year, back comes Spring, with nasty little birds yapping their fool heads off and the ground all mucked up with plants. ~ Dorothy Parker





Spring has returned. The Earth is like a child that knows poems. ~ Rainer Maria Rilke





Spring is the time of the year, when it is summer in the sun and winter in the shade. ~ Charles Dickens





No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn. ~ Hal Borland

Spring Emerges

Plant life has grown considerably over the past couple of weeks. Just a short while back, branches were bare. Leaves and flowers are now in near-full bloom but during that magical time in between, I was out with my camera, snapping a few shots for emerging buds. I hope you enjoy them.

Everything is blooming most recklessly; if it were voices instead of colors, there would be an unbelievable shrieking into the heart of the night. ~ Rainer Maria Rilke

Every spring is the only spring - a perpetual astonishment. ~ Ellis Peters

If you've never been thrilled to the very edges of your soul by a flower in spring bloom, maybe your soul has never been in bloom. ~ Terri Guillemets

Spring is a true reconstructionist. ~ Henry Timrod

Spring is nature's way of saying, "Let's party!" ~ Robin Williams

The beautiful spring came; and when Nature resumes her loveliness, the human soul is apt to revive also. ~ Harriet Ann Jacobs

"Robins, how can you tell the difference between your eggs and the sky?" ~ Joseph Pintauro