It's not January anymore

Yes!! Today saw the start of the year (January is a bad word in my mind - I try to ignore it with all my might) February is here my friends and I can barely stand the joy. It's only a wee month and then bam! it's March etc...

For this auspicious occasion I went out into the garden, simply desperate to find springy-ness and hope for the year to perk me up. Here is what I saw....

So happy the Beech hedge is filling out and the box hedge is smelling fabulous and looking so healthy :)

 Yes! Big, fat, juicy tulip bulbs are popping through all over the place :)

 AIliums and lots of tete-a-tete bulbs have poked through and are looking super :)

 See? more!!! ;) Plus the Jasmine is happy and grew so much last year - I have happy tingly feelings :)

 Still the snowdrops keep coming; so delicate and so very white they glow :)

And the winter flowering cherry has been in bud for ever, I love it but never more so with the blue sky behind it -  blue sky is the bestest thing ever :)

I am smiling a lot today as you may have noticed and the weather looks okay for tomorrow too = Allotment Time!! Happy Days :)

Love and hugs and Happy February to you :)

I have a secret :D

from the allotments

Happy times in the back garden are to be seen everywhere, apart from the horrendous wind (and the blasted builders and all their noisy activities and beeping machinery) I would have been out there today soaking it in. My little hideout is coming together I can see it and after so many months of plans and redrawn plans on graph paper it finally starting to come to life - eeekkkk!

Yesterday saw one of the most fun bits (for me) in the garden ~ planting bulbs. I LOVE bulbs. They hide under the soil waiting, just patiently waiting for the time when you feel you can't take this desolate winter, barren and sad, any longer and then they slowly emerge. They are organic, living anti-depressants. I defy anyone not to be cheered my the 'host of golden daffodils', the sweet and terribly shy Snowdrop, the bright and cheery Crocus and these....the Tulips.

I LOVE TULIPS. I lust after them and can not wait for the Glenarm Tulip Festival to open again (must check website!!) I am a silly flustered girl around them, all sorts, it matters not. For some reason the tulip gives me goosebumps - there I have said it, the cat is out of the bag - I Carrie am a secret Tulip - aholic.

These are Queen of the Night - ummmmmm. Dark, rich sumptuous purple. There leaves are even heavenly with tinges of red, oh I love them and look - lots of them in  my garden in little clumps of 3. *big happy sigh* And planted with them in the cherry tree bed (oh look at the beautiful greenery opening up on this darling of a tree!!! again my knees go weak) are Alliums 'Purple Sensation'.