It's.Raining.AGAIN.

Or maybe it hasn't stopped. At least not since yesterday early evening midday.

Prunus serrulata 'Kanzan'

S-i-g-h.

Big. Sigh. Again. The kind you make after a wet, chilly April followed by more rain than sun during the first week of May -- a fresh month that started with the promise of warmth and sunshine but now looks & feels more like March. And November. Combined.

Except for the blossoms :-). They're a little weather-battered but still beautiful, graceful, and, because of their resilience & tenacity, spirit-lifting. The rain cannot wash them away. Hurrah!

Time to turn away from the window. (I'm obsessing: Is the sky looking a bit lighter? The pounding on the metal flashing quieter?) Instead, I'll look to the screen where I've saved brighter moments from this past week.

Prunus 'Ukon'

Prunus serrulata 'Kanzan'

Prunus 'Shirofugen'

Prunus serrulata 'Kanzan'

Flowering crabapple (Malus)

And, ahem, may I remind May she has some promises to keep. I'm more than ready to go "racing through meadows without any coat."

Flowers for Easter: 1. Tulips

Elegant pink tulips grace the City Hall Community Gardens gate

Blooming in the neighbourhood

Daffodils along the path:

'Akebono' cherry blossoms overhead:

And close to home, Rosemary officinalis 'Blue Spires' outside the balcony doors:

Wordless Wednesday

Sunshine...

bright colour...

and fresh buds on a living fence (willow, perhaps)...

 ... an inviting path to the vernal equinox this past Sunday afternoon.

For three, blissful hours we walked with frequent stops to view spring emerging and unfurling.

I love spring anywhere, but if I could choose I would always greet it in a garden. 
~Ruth Stout