If You Don't Like the Weather, Wait a Little... It Will Change

The following photos were all taken on the same day.

Just as I was starting to shut my computer down and head for the ferry on Friday, I heard the distinct call of bald eagles talking to each other.  I wondered, are the eagles back on the top of the tree house tree?

Yes!  So I quickly mounted the 400 mm lens and camera on my tripod and through the living room window took a few shots o these gorgeous birds.  The storm was blowing pretty hard and it was raining... but these birds were enjoying each other's company... talking away to each other, seemingly oblivious of the weather.

We had a long lunch with Bob White from Kelowna, who met us in Sidney.  We were not sure if the sun was going to come out this afternoon... but as we finished eating we figured it looked safe to take Bob over to Butchart Gardens for a quick visit.  Midway through the afternoon we had beautiful sunshine.

 It is nice having a seasons pass, so we are planning to getting our money's worth out of it this year.  The Gardens were bursting forth colourful crocuses everywhere we went.

At the end of our walk around I commented to Bob that there could easily be close to a million of these early bloomers here at Butchart Gardens.

I saw varieties of crocuses that I have never, ever seen before...

And this hairy specimen reminded me of the type of crocuses we had back on the farm in Alberta that grew wild in the rangeland.

With millions of flowers blooming, there is no end to the possibilities and angles to compose a photo.

The red tulips were wonderful.... so colourful.  And there were endless daffodils.

When we saw this succulent plant it looked so healthy... and I just loved the pattern of the leaves.

Upon closer inspection I noticed that almost every flower had at least one raindrop.

So I zoomed in on a single blossom to capture the diamond close-up.  Ask me if I am having fun?

Have you ever noticed how even in nature there seems to be one who wants to be different from the group?

"If there are things you don't like in the world you grew up in, make your own life different." -Dave Thomas

Spring is Here!

While the news channels are talking about record snowfalls and massive airline cancellations due to heavy snowfalls, come and stroll with me thru Butchart Gardens and smell the flowers!

I had no idea the extent that these people would go in order to provide a year around venue here... even in January and February.

They have taken all the tables and chairs out of the Blue Poppy Restaurant and made the entire space into an amazing exhibit.

To build this waterfall and pond is no small job.  In another month or so they will remove all the rocks, gravel, pipes, pumps and plants and return the space back to the Blue Poppy Restaurant.  This pond is even stocked with some beautiful sizeable fish.

With my sister Rose and her husband Morian, Shirley and I made our first visit to Butchart Gardens in 2011.  

The smell of the Hyacinths filled the air with the most pleasant perfume... which hit us the moment we entered the place... long before we actually saw these flowers.

We hope to use our seasons pass a lot this year and see the gardens every month or two.  Can you tell me the name of the next few flowers?

"Spring is a heart full of hope and a shoe full of rain."

"Never cut a tree down in the wintertime. Never make a negative decision in the low time. Never make your most important decisions when you are in your worst moods. Wait. Be patient. The storm will pass. The spring will come." -Robert Schuller

"I stuck my head out the window this morning and spring kissed me bang in the face." -Langston Hughes

"Spring is nature's way of saying, "Let's party!" -Robin Williams

"In spring time, love is carried on the breeze. Watch out for flying passion or kisses whizzing by your head." -Emma Racine deFleur

"If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome." -Anne Bradstreet

This classic view of the sunken gardens in February, without leaves and blossoms, is still very interesting.

I saw this utility cart with my initials on it... so had to stop and take a photo of it... not realizing at first my shadow.  We had a little discussion on what the SG stood for. Something Good? or maybe Sunken Garden.

We enjoyed the sun that graced our day... and so did all the plants!

There were several robins also enjoying the sun.  This was the only one who stood still for 1/125th of a second.  We could hear the worms crying, "Look out!"

Here is the first daffodil I've seen blooming this year.  There are many more nearly ready to burst forth, but someone had to be first!

As we completed our visit to the Gardens, Shirley was drawn to Gift and Seed Store... where she could not resist purchasing some hope.  There is a lot of hope in a package of seeds.

"The day the Lord created hope was probably the same day he created Spring." -Bern Williams