Last week came as a huge relief to the long and miserable stretch of the early New Year when it seemed we were perpetually confined indoors where my bum seemed to be rooted to the armchair as I switched between reading, “internetting” and watching television. A modicum of any of these activities can be a perfectly pleasant way to pass some time but can become wearing when done day after day without choice or alternative. The improvement in weather last week allowed us spend long days in the garden and together we just about finished one circuit of the beds and borders – one visit to all sections of the garden with weeding, tidying up, spreading garden compost, grass cutting and edge trimming all complete – but bad weather has returned and we have been confined to the indoors again yesterday and today. There is a sense of being given a taste of an alternate lifestyle only to have it snatched away again.
The garden is very important to us as we have more or less confined ourselves to home during this pandemic. We used walk regularly last year but with the huge rise in infection numbers in the New Year we have gone out less than a handful of times. The garden is our outdoor activity, our pastime and recreation, and a great relief to the days of confinement so we miss it very much and long to be out there again.
I know these days will return again shortly but today I am having a moan but I didn’t allow the moan to dominate the day and made a dash outdoors to collect a few daffodils which were in flower so that we could enjoy them indoors – little posies on the mantlepiece – and also so that I could photograph them. It isn’t that I wish to record them but simply to enjoy taking the photographs, processing them and enjoying them for today. I’ll post them with this blog and hope you enjoy them also.
So, there’s my Yellow on Black – daffodils against a black background!
We’ll look forward to brighter days, days in the garden, days out, effective vaccines, meeting grandchildren, family and friends again but, in the meantime we’ll make the most of what we have and today that was daffodils.
Paddy Tobin, An Irish Gardener 
Gorgeous varieties you have there, and the yellow is even more intense on the black background. I know how you feel, weather bad here too, but we’ll all get let out again soon I hope!
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It all passed an hour very pleasantly this afternoon.
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Those daffodils are lovely. Nice to see the contrasting shapes of the different varieties!
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And, they brighten up the garden!
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That was a lovely reminder of spring and I feel your pain after a nasty day and almost sleepless night listening to the wind howling and the rain battering down. I am always amazed at how far ahead you are in the garden – we have Tete-a-tete out but nothing much else apart from tardy February Gold! But the buds are up and I am glad they are not open yet after the weather yesterday!
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We seem to have escaped very lightly here re wind etc. It was windy but not threatening or worrying. Heavy rain late yesterday evening but it has passed. Of course, the ground is now saturated again.
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Hello Paddy, what a wonderful collection of daffodils! They look great against black. I am in full daffodil fever at the moment, having been to a great online talk by Cornwall breeder / grower Ron Scamp. It has since appeared online and may be of interest – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaSIVUkaHtg
(Warning: it has grown my daffodil wish list for next year!)
Lulu of Long Mizzle x
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Many thanks for the link – I’ll have a look later. The black is simply a sheet of black material draped over a large chopping board stood on the kitchen worktop. It gives a good backdrop and passed a while on a dreadful day.
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Absolutely fab photos Paddy but why am I not surprised?
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If flattery were an Olympic sport you would win the gold medal every time, Peter! Settle down now – it’s a Jameson and rugby afternoon. Cheers to Anna and many thanks for the card during the week.
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