Spring flowers

[vilakins]

Today has actually felt more like early summer than spring. Flowers are starting to come out in the garden, though more than a month later than usual.

And it's daylight saving tonight! I love daylight saving (unlike most Americans I know) for the extra hour of light in the evening.


Clivias. The ferns seem to be spreading; I'll have to weed them back.


Closeup of clivias


This poor little flowering tree which is a vireya (tropical rhododendron) really needs to be unpotted and planted in the garden.


Close-up of the flowers

Comments

[gwendraith]

I love the green and orange colours!

We are getting a late summer and it's quite warm during the day although chilly in the morning.

[vilakins]

That's nice weather too. I love when we get a lingering summer. In fact I'd just cut winter out and sew autumn and spring together. Winter has only one thing good about it: no mosquitoes.

[kindkit]

Daylight savings time is wonderful! I don't know why so many people complain about it. (Okay, I'm sure there are some people whose sleep cycle is so delicate that the one-hour shift really throws them off. But not that many.)

Also: yay, pretty pictures of pretty flowers!

[vilakins]

Well, I love it in this direction but going back again means winter which I loathe, all wet and grey and dark. I wouldn't mind if I lived somewhere with a crisp, fun winter (and some communal partying in it).

I don't find the change hard but then I tend to go to bed and get up at varying times. That will have to change from tonight though.

I like your icon.

[mab_browne]

Very pretty. :-) We've had decent sun here but it's still quite chilly on occasion.

[vilakins]

Today it's been raining but I think it's meant to be sunny again for the rest of the week. I admit I took those pictures during a cloudy spell as it's better for photos as you don't get the deep shadows. Yesterday was summer clothes time, and not just for me; everyone I saw out but I suspect I'll have to dress a bit warmer tomorrow.

[vjezkova.livejournal.com]

Thank you for your lovely spring pictures and spring news. It is really funny, we are real opposites in these matters of the Nature!
Seeing clivias blooming in the garden is also very exotic, these plants are the most typical pot plants for indoors here:-)
Enjoy the Light, we will return to "normal" time in a month and it will be Dark...

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I've never seen clivia as a pot plant! I think the poor little vireya will be happier not as one though.

You have a longer daylight saving than we do then!

[Edit] Did you notice Jasmin in the garden behind the vireya? She's not that easy to make out but it's her.

[vjezkova.livejournal.com]

Ah, she is there! I really didn´t notice her:-)
I can read that the timetable of that daylight saving is really different in some areas...:-)

[zoefruitcake.livejournal.com]

when the clocks change in the spring is my favourite time :D

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Yes! I don't mind losing an hour for it. :-D

[azdak.livejournal.com]

I love daylight saving (unlike most Americans I know)

Heh, the annual whinge about the clocks going forward seems to be part of American culture. I'm on your side, I love getting that extra hour of daylight.

Your garden looks beautiful. And now you can sit out in it for longer!

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I don't know why Americans hate it so. I'm always sad when it goes.

Yes, till the mozzies start biting me! It's the big downside of summer here.

[ultrapsychobrat.livejournal.com]

Pretty flowers! I love Daylight Savings Time--I wish it lasted all year.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Me too!

[morzsa.livejournal.com]

I love Daylight saving, too! What I don't like is that we are on a completely different schedule about it than the rest of the world.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I thought most countries did their own thing. At least I remember France and some of Europe being different from the UK when I was there. We changed our a few years ago to be longer, and we're almost certainly different from Australia.

What I hate is being in the wrong season for all festivals.

[morzsa.livejournal.com]

I think the EU are on the same schedule now... which ceems to coincide with the US schedule now. Definitely not NZ or Australia... and definitely not us.

[quarryquest.livejournal.com]

I grew up with Clivias. We call Kaffir Lilys - and my mother has a big pot in the porch at home.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Oh! I never realised they were the same thing! They grow really well in gardens here provided they're in shade.

[emerald-happy.livejournal.com]

Oooh how pretty. I like the extra light too though I do complain about getting up earlier the first few days. I came online actually to tell you I met a cat today on the way to the post office. It was black with yellow eyes and had three legs and was very friendly and kept trying to jump for the tassles on my scarf. I played with it for a bit. It had a really pretty white and silver collar. Anyway until I know it's name I'm calling it Nico ;-) (I called my plushie cat that too. It's the perfect default name for cats methinks!)

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Yeah, and right where I start that new contract. In fact I should go to bed now as it's past midnight on the new time.

I am so flattered! That cat sounds lovely and treasured. Sebastian is as sweet as ever (as are they all) but he's unplugged our Sky box three times in three weeks. I am not happy. That's three QIs I've missed. He'll ourgrow it (I hope) like the others have.

[emerald-happy.livejournal.com]

Oh dear - he wants you to watch him instead! :-)

[elmey.livejournal.com]

Oh how pretty--I used to have a clivia as a houseplant and actually got it to bloom a couple of times :)

Personally I love daylight savings time too--almost everyone I know does. I'm always surprised by the complaints.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Our clivias bloom for weeks and I'm not a very attentive gardener. :-) You have to have them in shade though for that.

I just hate when it goes away again because I hate winter, all grey and wet and dark and cheerless. And months away now, yay!

[reapermum.livejournal.com]

The only thing I don't like is the lack of easy transition, now I'm retired I can spread the loss of an hour over several days. And then in the autumn the change makes the day feel dark and miserable by late afternoon.

As the clocks go back on the last Sunday of October please make a note to give us some more pretties to keep us cheerful that day.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I hate the change back because there's only one good thing about winter and that's no mosquitoes or flies. I don't find the change hard though, luckily since I start that new contract tomorrow. Hey, you have winters with snow and communal partying! I actually enjoyed it in Germany.

[jaxomsride.livejournal.com]

It's not the change of hour that I mind so much as it throws out my body clock for at least a fortnight after.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

It doesn't seem to bother mine at all, which is lucky since I start that contract tomorrow.

[samantha-vimes.livejournal.com]

I think most people like that the shift lets them have more light in the evening. But losing an hour of sleep sucks and some people always forget and come to work an hour late Monday.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I don't think anyone did where I started today. :-) I was all geared up for it, and my body clock is pretty flexible so I never notice any effect. Losing an hour is made up for by the nicer evenings!

I'm wondering if the reason Americans hate it so is that they have a much longer run. We change not far from the equinoxes which seems to work out well.

[samantha-vimes.livejournal.com]

No, it's really about feeling groggy for a week while one's body clock adjusts. You are lucky. It's really hard on me, because my body is geared to a 25 hour day and has enough trouble keeping a schedule without the morning starting an hour earlier. But being a night person, the extra daylight rocks. I wish we would just shift the clock and keep it there all the time. The extra light would be all the more useful in December.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I thought everyone had a 25-hour cycle. I'm a night person too, but I also hate getting up in the dark. It's just wrong.

[samantha-vimes.livejournal.com]

I think mine is just more *stubborn* than most people's.

[quabazaa.livejournal.com]

Gorgeous!!! :) You really have such a lovely garden I hope you'll be posting some more pics as the season progresses :)

I don't mind Daylight saving, I love having more light in the evening, but I always get so confused. Guess I've moved around a bit too much, and every time I have to double check all the different time zones I make calls too, trying to find good times for people on both sides, it's annoying!

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I saw this evening that the deep pink camellias are opening; we have two full flowers!

Yes, that would be so confusing. I use the World Clock to be certain of the time elsewhere.

[luinielle.livejournal.com]

Beautiful photos - you have a gorgeous garden. :o) I think I spot one of your cats in the vireya photo...? I hope you enjoy your spring and upcoming summer. I'm very happy that the colder weather seems to have finally arrived here (tho this weekend was a bit of a summer return).

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Yes, that's Jasmin inserting herself into a photo, but she's not very clear. I saw this evening that two of the deep pink camellia buds have opened into flowers. I'm not sure why it's late this year; maybe the winter was colder? It didn't seem it (apart from that exciting and rare drift of snow).