Hot on the heels of the last blast of Winter - we hope - Spring arrived loud and clear this weekend. And on Sunday when daylight saving began everyone was out celebrating the start of Spring - working in allotments (totally deserted till yesterday), walking and cycling, visiting restaurants where musicians in lederhosen played jolly Spring music and generally enjoying the two days of perfect sunshine.
Everywhere there are primulas dotting the grass banks with the occasional clump of jonquils, and some blue and white starlike flowers that I don't recognise but are clearly wild. In cultivated gardens the daffodils glowed in the sunshine (jonquils they say they are called but I think the small ones are jonquils and the big ones daffodils - can anyone tell me the real difference?) There is vivid yellow blossom everywhere. The pink cherry blossom already happened in an early attempt at Spring just before the snow and then got blanketed with heavy snow causing the blossom to drop. But the sight of white snow on pink blossom is something to remember.
Green leaves are popping out of dry branches everywhere and soon the vistas we have enjoyed will disappear to be replaced by lush cool foliage. This weekend the air was so clear, the Alps were clearly visible from Zurich, looking exactly like the frosted image from the icing sugar pack I remember from my childhood. In fact we discovered that it's possible to get a photograph of our apartment against a backdrop of the alps (coming soon when I have time to download).
I said we'd just had snow - in fact on Good Friday the heaviest snow of the year began and lasted all Easter weekend, making it a White Easter all over Europe. I revelled in walking to work in the snow though they tell me it wears off very quickly and just becomes a drudge in no time.
Coming soon will be a post about a weekend in three countries - Easter in Switzerland, Germany and France - but for now it's time to start the working week again. Yes sadly I'm having to pay dearly for these brief snatches of wonder and enjoyment with very long weeks of hard work. but those are the realities of life. Till soon!
Everywhere there are primulas dotting the grass banks with the occasional clump of jonquils, and some blue and white starlike flowers that I don't recognise but are clearly wild. In cultivated gardens the daffodils glowed in the sunshine (jonquils they say they are called but I think the small ones are jonquils and the big ones daffodils - can anyone tell me the real difference?) There is vivid yellow blossom everywhere. The pink cherry blossom already happened in an early attempt at Spring just before the snow and then got blanketed with heavy snow causing the blossom to drop. But the sight of white snow on pink blossom is something to remember.
Green leaves are popping out of dry branches everywhere and soon the vistas we have enjoyed will disappear to be replaced by lush cool foliage. This weekend the air was so clear, the Alps were clearly visible from Zurich, looking exactly like the frosted image from the icing sugar pack I remember from my childhood. In fact we discovered that it's possible to get a photograph of our apartment against a backdrop of the alps (coming soon when I have time to download).
I said we'd just had snow - in fact on Good Friday the heaviest snow of the year began and lasted all Easter weekend, making it a White Easter all over Europe. I revelled in walking to work in the snow though they tell me it wears off very quickly and just becomes a drudge in no time.
Coming soon will be a post about a weekend in three countries - Easter in Switzerland, Germany and France - but for now it's time to start the working week again. Yes sadly I'm having to pay dearly for these brief snatches of wonder and enjoyment with very long weeks of hard work. but those are the realities of life. Till soon!
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