Singing in the Rain

Don’t worry – there are no recordings of my raspy voice to torture you. It’s raining this morning and the temperature is on the borderline of freezing so periodically I hear ice pellets beating against the window in my wee office.

The day is grey and dismal but through the grayness, I heard a songbird trilling its little heart out. There was a cardinal sitting on top of the power lines, rain beating on his red head as he sang sweetly to lure a partner into his life. When I glanced out on the deck I saw a pair of woodpeckers taking turns gnawing on the suet block while a hoard of chickadees were busy grabbing assorted seeds for snacks. As usual, the Blue Jays are screaming that they want more food. There is never enough to satisfy them. Life is never dull here on the hill.

Although the view out my window is dark and wet, brightly coloured flowers help to make it a happier day. My friend, Caroline, gave me these lovely tulips yesterday and they’re just beginning to open up.

My birthday was a few days ago and Joel gave me some purple tulips that, when they opened up, show a lovely shade of mauve.

I’ve been having fun playing with my macro lens and it’s allowed me to peer deep inside the blossoms.

Combining some of the white, yellow, orange and mixed-coloured tulips with the purple ones Joel had given me made for another bright display on the windowsill.

The deep reddish orange on this blossom is one of my favourite colours.

It really stands out against the green foliage and the other colours in the bouquet.

Yellow flowers, be they tulips or roses, are high on my list of favourites. It’s such a cheerful colour and will brighten the darkest of moods.

Many are just getting ready to open up and really show off, but not too quickly, I hope. Once they begin to open up, they often quickly are past their peak but still beautiful in their own way. Beauty exists in age too.

The two bouquets gave me a chance to play with some editing options as well – a pleasant pastime on a soggy winter day. While I’m sitting at my desk I can still hear the cacophony of birdsongs coming from the trees at the edge of our lot. Everyone is excited about the advent of spring in just a couple of weeks bringing with it more warmth, more daylight and hopefully sunshine.

For those in my neck of the woods, stay dry and drive safely if you need to be out and about. Although it’s just raining right now, a slight drop in temperature could make the roads quite treacherous.

In May, I’m heading to Ottawa to visit my brother and sister-in-law for a few days. I’m hoping that my visit coincides with the annual Tulip Festival featuring thousands of blooms of all different styles, colours and varieties. That said, our seasons have definitely changed so Mother Nature may have other plans. We’ll see.

Take heart. Spring is near – just ask Mr Cardinal who is working so hard to attract a mate! I hope they’ll bring their family to visit in a few weeks!