Spring, Sprang, Sprung

On Friday I was finally able to take a long-awaited day off work to play in my garden. Had a wonderful time pruning and digging and getting my hands in the soil. Then I started Saturday with a walk around the yard with camera in hand, and WOW! what a difference a couple weeks has made!

The heloborus that looked so puny before have suddenly exploded in flowers, even a surprise purple and white one which had never bloomed before.

Daffodils are starting to open.

Hyacinths — a gift from a friend a couple years ago — sparkle by the front door.

Acanthus leaves are beginning to unfurl in the side yard.

Close by a hosta is pushing little purple tips up out of the soil.

And vinca's periwinkle flowers are popping open.

Saturday was an intense day of digging and moving shrubs around to allow for the new light pattern that will take shape when Jim has finished building his studio in the back yard. So much of what I planted last year has now been relocated. And my muscles got a much-needed workout.

In between I managed to finish — just in time for Spring, ha! — the brown tweed gansey socks that have been on my needles for the past few weeks, as well as the "Strange Harvest" glovelets.

Next up, a new sock in my own Spring-hued hand-dyed yarn. I call it "Ziggy" and will post pictures soon.

I even found time to work on "Romance with Pearls", which is progressing fairly well, and should be complete in two or three more good long painting sessions. The operative word here being "should".

So it's been a great weekend for all things yarny and soily and painty. Too bad there was no time to take care of things dusty. That will just have to wait for another season — er, um, weekend.

Happy Spring everyone!