Friday 26 April 2013

Spring! Spring!! Spring!!!

Many of us have endured an unusually long winter this year, spring being "behind" its expected arrival by about three or four weeks. But eventually, it has arrived, and what better way to celebrate it by using the best part of a Saturday for a walk in the park!
Maybe by now you are tired of seeing pictures of the same old park over and over again, but it never looks really the same; there is always something new or different to the previous time I went there.

My Mum and I enjoyed feeling the sun on our bare arms, sipping pumpkin secco on the patio outside the café and looking at the flowers - they were still somewhat hesitant by then, but almost exploding with colour and shape now, two weeks after these pictures were taken.

It was the first time I was able to wear the outfit I showed you here without risking a cold. In fact, we were in the sun for hours for the first time this season, wich lead to a slight headache for my Mum in the evening.

As you can see, most of the trees were still largely bare:


When there is a combination of my two favourite colours, blue and yellow, I simply can't resist.




This one is for you, Kay - I took it in the "Valley of Birdsong"!

Walking to the southernmost part of the park showed us that there is some work in progress. The "bald" patch in the 2nd picture below didn't look like this last time we came here, and it certainly will be laid out and planted in baroque patterns again, to keep the original symmetry.


Our path then lead us into the inner courtyard of the palace; the same one you've seen several times before on my blog, for instance in this post. This time, I am showing you some different detail:




If it does not rain tomorrow, my Mum and I will be back to the park. For the next five days, it will be hosting an exhibition for all things "garden" - from the useless to the immensely practical, from the eyesore to the beautiful. Last year, I showed you some of the exhibition here, and learned the word "gabion walls" from GB's comment (thanks, Graham, I've been impressing all sorts of people since then, knowing the proper term when they did not!). 

I hope the weather will be in favour of us going there again this year!

20 comments:

  1. May you have sunshine in the sky and in your heart as you go!

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    1. Thanks - well, it didn't happen. We've had nothing but rain today and a very chilly 6 Celsius with a nasty cold wind blowing.

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  2. I am so glad spring has finally visited you and your lovely mum! The palace shots are outstanding.
    happy weekend to you!

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    1. Thank you, Norma! In spite of the radical change in weather (see my reply above to messymimi), I am enjoying my weekend, and am certain the sunny spring days will soon return.

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  3. I never tire of seeing spring, new growth and being reminded of places coming back to life after their winter sleep. Seeing the same place time and again doesn't worry me at all. As for gabion walls: I'm glad to have been of use Meike.

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    1. Same here, Graham; I never tire of visiting a place again where I have been happy before. And that is so true about the park! I've been a regular visitor there almost from the day of my birth onwards.

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    2. I'm hoping that this summer CJ and I will re-visit some of the parks that we went to so often when we were children. It might be a huge mistake but it's something I feel that I have to do.

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  4. We're just about going into winter soon :-(. Your photos are lovely! So by the way I gave you an award on my blog :-) - http://seasonsfullcircle.blogspot.co.nz/2013/04/liebster-award.html

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    1. Thank you, Paul, I feel very flattered and am going to head over to your blog to find out about the award in a minute.

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  5. Nice you got out with your mum for a walk in the sun. Some beautiful spring flowers! By the way I gave you an award on my blog :-) - http://seasonsfullcircle.blogspot.co.nz/2013/04/liebster-award.html

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  6. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this post! And you have a photo just for me from the Valley of Birdsong!!! Thank you for that, I know it is a lovely place, but when a place is named with words that I love, it makes it all the more special to me!!
    I look forward to more photos! Glad you were able to sit with your Mum. Did she have her sunglasses? Just a suggestion, many people don't think of them, but they are a big help if the sun is very bright.
    Thanks again for the picture from ...ahh, I get to type it again...Valley of Birdsong!

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    1. Oh yes, Kay, my Mum was wearing her sunglasses, she does not leave the house without them on a sunny day :-) Whereas I don't even own sunglasses - I have my normal specs on all the time anyway.
      Glad you saw this post and the caption underneath the Valley-of-Birdsong-picture!

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  7. Oh, and I forgot to say, I would never get tired of seeing "this same old park". NEVER!

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  8. There's nothing like a beautiful park! Enjoy & I'll keep my fingers crossed for good weather!

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    1. Thank you, Mary :-) Although it wasn't to be... (see my reply above to messymimi)

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  9. Lots of memories, though I can't believe I haven't been there since the early 70s! You are truly fortunate to have such a great place so near. Do you ever go to see the ceramics? I love the ones of the different people from the 1700s. Thanks to you I was inspired to find the book with all the great pictures of them. Hmmmm. I was still in my 20s then. Long ago and far away.

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    1. Glad to know my post inspired you to find your book with ceramics pictures, Kristi! It's been a while since I last went to the ceramics exhibition, but we do that every now and then. The museums have changed a lot; there is now a fashion museum in one of the palace's wings, a theatre museum in another wing and the apartments of one of the princes was turned into a museum of its own, as well as a baroque gallery of paintings.

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  10. Oh what a pretty place. Lovely to go walking I am sure. I just love the flowers in spring. You are so lucky to have your Mum to go walking with. Enjoy your walks this week. :)

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    1. Yes, Janice, I know I am lucky, and I appreciate it very much!

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