"Now the North wind ceases;
The warm South-west awakes,
The heavens are out in fleeces
And earth's green banner shakes"
Geo. Meredith

Time for a new look, methinks. Just like the crocuses outside, poking their speckled white petals up through the hard frosty ground, it feels like it is time for a change This weekend, we browsed, as is commonplace at weekends; having coffee, getting rained on, discussing the wedding (now less than 4 months away!!) and what we are going to do to the garden. I'm not so sure about the north wind ceasing, it seems to be blowing as strong as ever, with snow forecast, but I know now that it won't be for much longer.

Nutkin has been visiting our nut-feeders recently, we put up a net every couple of days, and have been threading unshelled peanuts onto garlands to hang on the hawthorn hedge. The long-tailed tits are in fine fettle, we witnessed an aerial territorial war going on between magpies, and a lovely pair of ever-cawing jackdaws are deciding which of the many chimney-stacks to build a nest in.

The wedding dress has been ordered all the way from America, and should come within a week (so hopefully by friday). I am excited beyond belief, I know that I'll be sat by the door waiting until it does come. The only picture I have is this one:



Yes, it's an inky plum colour, as I simply don't do white. Not my colour at all. I simply fell in love with this dress, because it doesn't scream wedding, it's not white, and it does look old (styled on a 1920's tea dress). We still have to find a suit for a certain Fiancé, who is notoriously difficult to shop for (without whose expertise this blog re-model wouldn't have been possible!). The wedding invites are almost completed (thanks to an industrious and clever mother), all that is left to be done is address them and send. them on their way. Then of course there is the planning of 1001 other things, but for now I'll revel in the feeling that we're getting there, one step at a time.

I am off to make the best of an early night and a good book, but before I go I'll leave you with another poem from a very nice book, which I'm sure everyone owns, called 'The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady' by Edith Holden. She was a naturalist, studying nature first-hand, by simply being involved in the seasons as people were then. A beautifully illustrated book, it was her passion to record and teach the world about the beauty that abounds in nature. The book contains many different poems, quotes and sayings from many different people, all relating in some way to each month, accompanied by her beautiful drawings of the natural world around her.

"How sweet the hedge that hides a cunning nest;
And curtains off a patient bright-eyed thrush,
With five small worlds between her mottled breast!

Though life is growing nearer day by day,
Each globe she loves, as yet is mute and still
Her bosom's beauty slowly wears away.

At last the thin blue veils are backward furled,
Existance wakes and pipes into a bird
As infant music bursts into the world.

And now the mother-thrush is proud and gay
She has her cottage and her pretty young
To feed and lull when western skies turn grey"

'A creed' Norman Gale