A cold damp spring has meant that many of our daylight hours have been spent foraging for fallen tree boughs suitable for sawing and turning into firewood. The trees that border our land are protected from the wood cutters; but the particularly strong Tramontana winds will often tear branches from those trees, and send them crashing through the undergrowth to the ground below. Everyone in the area is aware of nature’s bounty and with spiralling energy prices and the high price of retail firewood there is much competition for the material. We are begininging to feel like the Waltons.
As daylight lasts a little longer the early springflowers are starting to make a show. Across the fields cherry trees are bursting into bloom, held in bold relief against the shadows cast by a sun still low in the sky.
Water remains a problem with a few insignificant showers here in the greener north whilst the sunnier south has benefitted from heavy rainfall. The lake is only 22% full and the newspapers are reporting a ban on watering gardens, washing cars etc. So early in the year and desperate days ahead I fear.
I hope you start having some steady rainfalls to fill up the lake. It doesn't bode well for gardening if there will be bans on watering.
ReplyDeleteIt's too bad I couldn't ship some of this snow your way. We keep getting more and more ... you could use it!
With such a young garden the shrubs and trees we have are still establishing. We only got a dusting of snow on the mountain tops this year, so seeing the weather in your area present a diferent set of challenges makes you wonder where the balance is....though nature is still pretty wonderful don't you think?
ReplyDeleteThanks for your interesting and inspiring blog. The spring flowers are coming out here, too, in the Languedoc. Everything seems very (worryingly) early this year. And we too have the same concerns about water, although we have had some rain recently (see my post on 27 Feb). I'd like to put a link to your blog on mine as we're gardening in very similar situations - perhaps you'd like to put a link to mine? olives-and-artichokes.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteDelighted to add your link and we look forward to reading about your exploits and endevours. Please keep in touch it is so nice to hear from neighbours.
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