Saturday, March 21, 2009

First Day of Spring



For the past few weeks there has been a single colour appearing all over the island - yellow. There are thousands of daffodils everywhere. They are not just in domestic gardens but have been planted in their hundreds at the roadside. The past week has been dry and bright with lots of sunshine. The sun has ensured that many daffodils have been brought to their glory. Drive along the A5025 through Brynrevail and you will see a wonderful display of daffodils at the roadside. They are worth looking out for each spring. I have no idea who planted them originally but they have done a good job.


Not only do we have the bright yellow daffodils but there is also the gorse. I first visited Anglesey in the 1960s and my abiding memory of the island then was the mass of yellow gorse found everywhere. There is something about the gorse each year that tells me spring and Easter will soon be with us. I think the shade of yellow is amazing and glorious like the yellow of the daffodils. But unlike the daffodils there is a hidden downside.
Handling the gorse is well nigh impossible. At any time of the year you can be attacked by gorse thorns. Unlike roses they are in their millions on each bush. You have nowhere on a branch that you can safely grasp. Should you have been pruning back this gorse it will attack you not only at the pruning stage but later when you least expect it. You find it as debris in the garden and usually you find it the hard way! Pick up some gorse by accident and you will shout! I cannot count the times I have inadvertently handled gorse from the previous season whilst clearing flower beds.
You see, we have a profusion of gorse growing over our garden wall. I have to confess it looks well right now but at some point I shall curse it! If you wear thick protective gloves you find it does not hurt but the gloves make dexterity almost impossible. I can cope pretty well with the rambling roses that hang over the wall but when it comes to the gorse I do not look forward to pruning it.
Having said all this the masses of small yellow flowers brighten up the garden in this period of early spring when so little is in flower. The photo above was taken the other day and is of the gorse growing over the wall at the rear of our bungalow. It speaks for itself!

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