Groundhog Day

My birthday is on Groundhog Day and like those fat furry little creatures, I disappear to hibernate for the winter. This year I certainly must have seen my shadow for I remained in my burrow for well past the traditional 6 extra weeks. I regretfully spent that time wallowing in self-pity for numerous reasons but in the end none of them are really worth it. My life could be much worse than I sometimes imagine it to be, so shame on me for complaining.
Spring is taking her time this year in France. Mid-April and I've yet to hear a cuckoo in the forest. For me, the arrival of the cuckoos is the official start of spring. However, I can't listen to them without remembering  the first time I ever heard one , I thought my neighbors had a malfunctioning clock that went off about 18 times several times an hour.
But even though Spring and the cuckoos are late, flowers are everywhere and the forest is turning greener every day. I was actually able to see this at very close range on Easter Sunday, having been face down on the ground after my horse, ahem, dislodged me from the saddle. I'm spending the next two weeks in a full leg brace while the ligaments in my knee mend. Merde!
I hobbled around the garden today seeing which plants survived the harsh winter and long frost. 

And Rake She Did

A couple of posts back, I said I like to rake. Well here they are. 20, count 'em, 20 bags of leaves for the little lady. This is only the upper level of the back garden, mind you. The lower level has 2 birch trees, a maple and and an ash that waits for the really cold weather to lose its leaves. Meanwhile, I'll start raking the front garden. Beech, elm, and an 2 ornamental cherries. I'll keep the beech leaves to spread around plants that need winter protection. I read somewhere that they're perfect for this because of their light weight.