Magnolias
My favorite late-spring flowers are magnolias. We don’t have any in the garden ourselves, but there are some in a nearby park, and I love going there or just cycling past the park and seeing the…
Welcome, spring!
Since this has been the darkest winter in Central Europe for many, many years, I can’t wait till spring starts. It’s not the low temperatures or the regular sleet that bother me, it’s the lack of…
Stocking up your spring wardrobe
One sure sign of spring for me is the fact that all of a sudden I don’t just walk by shop windows (which have been decorated in bright colors for more than a month now), I…
Is it Spring Yet?
I saw them! Yesterday I took a brief walk at lunch in the cold and rain and saw them; tiny little crocus shoots. Finally! Yes, it’s nearly May, and it’s still freezing cold in much of…
Tulip envy
Yesterday I visited the Bundesgartenschau in Koblenz. Koblenz is a lovely city on the banks of the Rhine and the Moselle, and Bundesgartenschau can be translated as National Garden Show. There are three venues across the…
Seasonal decorations … or not
Every year, some time before Easter my husband begins to grumble that we do not have any Easter decorations out yet. I suggest he take care of it; he grumbles some more that we should do…
The perfect coat
For my trip to England later this month, I find myself in need of a coat. I got a lovely weatherproof, knee-length quilted coat which I wear on my bike all winter, but alas this will…
Spring Longings
The past few days we’ve had a bit of a reprieve from a long, fairly brutal winter. Suddenly, the skies were clear and beautifully blue, allowing the sun to shine down all day. And not only…
An Earworm
I discovered today that the charming German word Ohrwurm – a tune you just can’t get out of your head and you find yourself humming despite yourself – is making its way into the English language…
Tulips!
Lilies are strikingly gorgeous, roses and lilacs smell divine, and I love the sight of a carpet of bluebells. However, when I see the tulips in bloom, something about them just screams, “Spring is REALLY here!”…