What to Look for in Spring II: Hazel flowers

A brilliantly sunny day. As I went out to get some logs for the fire I heard a familiar summer song - trilling with what I always think of as an African exoticism. It was - I think - a Garden Warbler back from the winter. Seems very early.

I sat out on the front step and had a cup of tea with the window cleaner. The sun was really warm.

Later I pruned back the wisteria which looks like its about to burst forth, blackcurrants, the two cordon apple trees and cut out the dead canes from the loganberry and tied it back to the wires on the shed.

I've been looking at these hazel catkins every day and yesterday took a shot of them. Today I noticed the tiny red flowers. And took a load more finally settling on this cropped down one. They are harder to compose than I had imagined. 

It feels like another one of those, 'What-to-look-for-in-spring' moments.

Added a load more stuff to the 'West Coast Beaches' page of the NZ epic, struggling to identify some of the plants taken in haste.