Cherry tree blossoms on a gorgeous spring day

Today I had another spring post in mind (this will be the last in my 'mini series') but the photo above changed my mind. My son, who is only 8 years old, is the photographer. Yesterday, after a day out in the countryside (the part of Derbyshire we saw was beautiful) he was feeling a bit car sick so our friends dropped us off by his school and we walked home to get some fresh air. He had spent the entire day using his binoculars to watch birds and was telling me that he wanted to own a video camera. Close to our house, there is this gorgeous pink cherry tree in full bloom and I had to stop to take a few photos. When he asked if he could photograph it I said sure. I adjusted the manual settings for him, told him how to keep the exposure 'correct' and handed him the camera. Because of a slight wind, there was some movement in the other photos he took (his composition was great) but this one was just perfect. It was a pure joy watching him with the Nikon in his hand.

Have a wonderful day!

Coffee, letters and a delightful novel

Do you ever experience moments when you are going to sleep and are already looking forward to waking up in the morning to enjoy good coffee? Anyone? For me it happens quite frequently but this weekend I was wondering if moments like that are more likely to occur when you are reading something really good. On Friday I entered a bookshop to buy stationery and this book that a dear friend in Iceland had told me about and praised. It's called The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer. Lately, I haven't really been reading any novels, only coffee table books and magazines, and it felt so good to return to novels with such a delightful one that I was hardly able to put down. It takes place in 1946 and is mainly about life on the island Guernsey during the German Occupation, described in letters written after the war.

There is a lot of letter writing in the book and I'm glad I bought stationery and airmail envelopes as well on Friday because on Saturday I just wanted to write letters in between reading. I posted them this morning.

Post offices can be extremely charming. The one in my neighbourhood is small and it will never win any design awards but all the customers seem to know the names of the clerks and the clerks greet you with: "How are you, my love?" or "Is everything all right, my love?" Tacky post office for sure, but the most loving I have ever entered.

West Midlands spring blossoms

I am totally smitten with this spring season that, much to my delight, arrived early this year in the West Midlands. Sunday was spent on the patio / in the garden in 18 degrees (about 65°F) and sunshine. Yesterday, between studying for an exam, I grabbed my camera and went for a walk in the neighbourhood to capture some of the spring blossoms.

There are gorgeous cherry and plum trees all around (I wish I knew the name of all the varieties) and now I'm waiting for the magnolias to start blooming, especially two specific trees that I pass by every day.

I was born and raised in Iceland and these kinds of blossoms hardly exist over there (spring arrives late - it's still snowing there). This is the first time living abroad that I see trees in bloom so early. I already knew I had turned into a spring girl, but now I can say for certain that I'm an early-spring girl.

Has spring arrived in your corner of the world?