The Batten Kill was full, fast-flowing and sombre. Two geese abused us:
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Last week I received a notice from DHL that my renewed passport would be delivered on 28th May and of course someone would need to sign for it.
Thrilled that it had all gone through so quickly and efficiently, I made a note of the date.
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Then on Thursday as I was getting ready to go to Albany, I got a text to say that the delivery would be that day between 11 am and 3 pm. The one time period I could not change.
Panic stations. Online I seemed to manage a date change but with no confirmation I was anxious so got into a text exchange.
AI did not understand my question so I ended up in a queue that seemed to elongate…
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Fascinating how a computer estimates the length of transactions. I wonder what criteria it is based on.
At any rate, I eventually got connected and was assured tht the delivery could be intercepted and re-scheduled back to the original date.
In all likelihood, I shall never use the passport, but I prefer to keep my documents valid.
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Life is full of surprises.
Like lilies blooming at the base of the stem, at ground level.
This is something I have never seen before.
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Flowers aren’t supposed to hide!
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Presumably, these will bloom at the right end.
A sudden, surprising shaft of sunlight drew me outdoors just now.
Such moments must be treasured!
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And apparently this one is not likely to be of long duration.
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Pretty speedwell is in bloom.
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Raindrops glistened like so many diamonds on the asteraceae, which seems to have an assortment of other names.
Silver mound, Alpine wormwood and artemisia among others.
None of which I ever remember.
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The tall lilac bush has finished blooming but now the shorter bushes which are a different variety are decorating the driveway.
These are also strongly-scented.
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From what I’ve been told, lilacs became very popular here after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln for whom an elegy was written by the poet Walt Whitman:
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Spirea has been weighed down by constant rain but is still lovely.
It always makes me think of weddings.
The flowers are like a bridal vale and then, when they fall, they look like confetti.
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Our very brief sunny episode has passed and I am about to evacuate my desk to make way for cleaning.
Time to be made respectable!
Grey and green here today too, after heavy overnight rain which is forecast to continue on and off all next week. It is 20C, but feels cold because of a chilly wind. After the driest Spring for 100 years, it feels gloomy again, and it is hard to get enthusiastic about anything. Canada Geese can be aggressive, but when I used to feed them in Regent’s Park in London, they would wait to eat out of my hand.
Best wishes, Pete.
Thank you, Carolyn, for the wonderful post! I love the poem and the stunning lilac! All the flowers in your garden are beautiful in whatever way they grow! Good that you are going to have your passport, as you never know what can happen. The green colour is my favourite as it means Spring. While you clean your desk, listen to Mozart, it will help to get any job done in a haze of happiness, and half the time!
Joanna
Those automated phone or online messages really annoy me, especially those that cut the link just as you get to position 1.
I’ve always loved that Ivor Novella song “We’ll gather lilacs in the Spring again”. I think I heard it on the wireless as a child and it’s been in my brain ever since and especially so these last few weeks for whatever reason.