Dreaming of spring!

Of course, technically we are still in the throes of winter but a girl can dream, can't she?

In the slight lull between Storms Ciara and Dennis, Matty and I took the opportunity to make a quick inspection of the front garden.  Well, I say "Matty and I" but really he was much more interested in sniffing the air and staring up the road than examining the garden borders!

Masses of work waiting to be done.....

but the ground is so wet and cold at the moment that even on the odd dry, not-too-windy day the thought of getting my hands in the soil is quite frankly more than a tad horrifying!  The grass on this side of the garden gets much more soggy than on the other side ~ look at the muddy path that we've worn into the grass taking the doggo out at night!

We didn't get far clearing this side last year but hopefully we'll get to grips with it over the coming months.

And yet, there are little signs that spring may be just around the corner.  I was thrilled to find these buds coming through on a willow.....

and these sweet little narcissus are blooming.

This little group of narcissus are just a couple of feet away from the previous ones, in the same border and facing the same direction, but they haven't started to open yet. 

This little primula flowers so heartily!

I was delighted to see these little snowdrops coming through as they are in a part of the garden that we are planning to alter somewhat.  Now that I know where they are, I will be able to lift them when they've finished flowering and move them to a new home in the back garden.

The little nature pool is somewhat overgrown and tatty-looking at the moment, but despite this the water is beautifully clear.  The birds have been making good use of it right from when we first put it in; it's lovely to watch them drinking and bathing.  Makes me feel a tad shivery, though, to see them doing their ablutions as the water is very cold!

Matty was obviously feeling a little tired and bored by the time I'd had a good poke around, but it was good for him to get a breath of fresh air.  Having a mooch around the garden is as much of a walk as he wants to do these days.  I'm really not sure how much longer he will be with us, so we are just making the most of whatever time we have left with our handsome boy 💕