My A-Z posts this year
are based on my garden – flowers, animals, the birds and the bees, butterflies
- with a bit of poetry thrown in. For some letters I am expecting to cheat
somewhat – a sort of wish they were here.
H – Honeysuckle, Horse Chestnut, Hyacinth, Hydrangea, Heron
Good Lord, how
sweetly smells the honeysuckle
In the hush’d night,
as if the world were one
Of utter peace, and
love, and gentleness.
 |
| Honeysuckle |
Now it’s time to cheat a bit and
leave the village to visit a nearby wood
 |
| Horse Chestnuts (early stage of development) |
Under a spreading
chestnut tree
The village smithy
stands
Our hyacinths began, not in a
wood but in a garden centre pot; they always turn out to be a different colour
than we thought. Nevertheless -
Hyacinths blooming in
the wood
Fragrantly they are bringing
A primal essence of spring
Fragrantly they are bringing
A primal essence of spring
 |
| Hyacinths |
And when we were given this plant
its flowers were blue, they are different now as you can see
 |
| Hydrangeas |
Several houses in the
neighbourhood have ponds in their grounds which are visited by herons for a
take-away. We often see them flying overhead – but not these from Portrack
Nature Reserve,
 |
| Herons |
Mourn, sooty coots,
and speckled teals,
Ye fisher herons,
watching eels;
Poems:
- Honeysuckle – From Gareth and Lynette – Alfred Lord Tennyson
- The Village Blacksmith – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
- Spring Flowers –Hyacinths – Mary Havran
- Herons – Elegy on Captain Matthew Henderson – Robert Burns
