1   Our lovely neighbour called in today with this delightful Spring bouquet to say thank you for feeding the cats over the weekend. (It was a pleasure, S!)  Tete a Tete, Cherry blossom, Forget-me-not, Primroses and a very special tiny yellow Rhododendron.

Present for looking after the cats

2   The lovely Mr S bought this amazing organic Cornish cauliflower in the market when we were flash-mobbing last Saturday. It cost 80p, measured about 30 cms from side to side and with it today I have made four pints of the most delicious Creamy Curried Cauliflower Soup, some to freeze and some for a friend who is just out of hospital.

Enormous Cornish cauliflower

3    This beautiful bi-coloured daffodil is open today, the second gloriously sunny Spring day in a row!

Bi-colour daffodil

Today is one of those days when the beauty of the world around me is especially important. Despite the warm weather, my joint pain is a pain.  I’d just like to share this extra poem with you tonight, one of my favourites by William Henry Davies.  Penny’s blog this morning reminded me of it. Thank you, Penny.

What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.
No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.
No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.
A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

Neither must we allow distractions of other sorts to close our eyes to the beauty around us in this wonderful world of ours.