-

-
Although this could very well be a picture of me finding a new treasure at a favorite nursery, it's actually an illustration by David Catrow for a children's book called Plantzilla.

Monday, April 8, 2013

Spring Break is Over but Spring Continues her Magic!


Went outside and was drawn to the courtyard of the church across the street. 
 
 Several older camellia bushes were blooming their heads off!
 It's camellia japonica season all over town.  There is nothing quite as wonderful as spring in the Northwest!
 

Loveliest of trees, the cherry now
Is hung with bloom along the bough,
And stands about the woodland ride
Wearing white for Eastertide.
 

 Now, of my threescore years and ten,
Twenty will not come again,
And take from seventy springs a score,
It only leaves me fifty more.

And since to look at things in bloom
Fifty springs are little room,
About the woodlands I will go
To see the cherry hung with snow.
 
A.E. Housman  1859 - 1936

 
Here's a heads up for anyone who would like to move to this neck of the woods:  Although it's not on the market yet, my wonderful next door neighbors will be putting their gorgeous home on the market sometime this summer.  It's a fabulous Victorian with scrumptious woodwork and stained and leaded glass in just about every  room! (Including a huge magnolia triptych in the dining room.) I noticed how beautiful their house looked as I walked back across the street.
 
That jut out part in the front is an extension of the basement and was originally added to the house long ago and was a bakery.  Later, it was a t.v. repair shop and because it was historically used as a business, it could be re-opened as a little cafe or something.  There are several hospitals just up the street and many of the workers park in the neighborhood and they're always looking for places to eat lunch.  Anyway, it's been re wired, plumbed, bathroom and kitchen hook ups installed so it could be a mother -in-law apartment/ rental, business, or really cool craft area.   The house is really special and since our house is directly to the right of this one, it would be great if our new neighbors were as cool as the ones we currently have!  


22 comments:

  1. Spring in the NW is amazingly...we are so lucky...plus, it's so EARLY compared to most places. That house is gorgeous...I can't imagine living in such a magnificent home!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I feel very fortunate! My niece in Wasilla just got a foot of snow and the forecast is calling for more with lows in the 20's. Lucky, lucky, lucky! That house is as fabulous inside as it is outside! You should move as the hell strip would look great with your garden in it!

      Delete
  2. Oh, I covet your neighbor's house so much!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Stop coveting and make an offer! We'd get into so much trouble visiting nurseries and buying plants together!

      Delete
  3. Love the courtyard plantings, and especially the way the cement walls around them focus your attention on the plants and trees. Or maybe that was your excellent photography skills?

    BTW while we were there Andrew kept talking about moving to Tacoma. I wonder if he'd consider a lovely Victorian...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Couldn't be my skills as I have none but the cement walls are amazing. This is a really interesting structure that I enjoy looking at daily. "In the late 1960s, authorities declared the old church building structurally unsafe. This made way for Christ Church parishioners to build a new, dramatically different (and controversial) church structure. The new sanctuary was completed and dedicated in 1969. The modern sanctuary, designed by renowned Brutalist architect Paul Thiry, stands in sharp contrast to the traditional building that preceded it. Its simple, plain interior is reminiscent of the stark early Christian basilicas and its modernity is an affirmation of spiritual life in an atomic age."

      OMG! Danger in Tacoma would be so much fun! We don't get quite as much rain as Portland but we also don't get quite as hot as P town. It would be so cool to have you as a neighbor! The garden space isn't huge because that house keeps going and going but the garden has 3 levels and lots of potential. There's fabulous structure in the garden (pergola, wall of stained glass, wood deck off the kitchen, etc. and a very private lower garden. If you're really interested, I'll send you lots of images!

      Delete
  4. Gorgeous with all those spring blooms at once. Beautiful poem to go along with the blossoms.

    Lovely house, the house next door to us is for sale and I've thought it would be nice to choose our neighbors.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad you liked the posies and poem!

      The house is wonderful and was restored by friends of mine and the current owners have added things, finished the attic and basement and are salt of the earth folks. It would be great to have someone in the house who will continue to love it and to continue gardening!

      Delete
  5. Lots of cherry trees around here, and pedestrians wandering around in a starry-eyed daze.
    You make a good case for the house next door. Plus: the lucky buyer would get you as a neighbor!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's a magical time of year when those blooms start dropping and any breeze makes the petals look like a spring snow storm! Me as a neighbor - well, there are drawbacks in any neighborhood!

      Delete
  6. That Cherry tree, wow! Love the courtyard plantings!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's very pretty and springy around here right now!

      Delete
  7. Nearby where I live, there is a tree exactly like the ones you photographed here. I love the shape and the dangling blossoms. Nothing says spring quite like the fruit trees. I hope your neighbors find a friendly buyer for the house. And if they're gardeners, all the better.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Spring in the PNW, is there anything more beautiful? Fingers are crossed for neighbors as nice as the ones I have now. The house is pretty special and I think it will attract interesting people. If they don't like to garden or be outside, I'd be happy to continue my garden path into their back yard and enjoy it for them!

      Delete
    2. How fabulous that would be! The Outlaw Annex....

      Delete
  8. The cherry blossoms with tulips and blue squill (?) beneath is so wonderful. I wish I could go there and just stare at it and sigh.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Y'all come! Spring is such a beautiful time of year, we just get ours a little earlier than you.

      Delete
  9. Beautiful. And here I am, looking at trailers (sorry, mobile homes) for sale in the middle of the Sonoran Desert ....
    Did you know that Graham Stuart Thomas set Housman's poem to music? Score in his book Treasured Perennials.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm familliar with settings by George Butterworth and John Duke (I love singing the latter!) I look forward to finding Graham Stuart Thomas's setting! Thank you!

      Delete
    2. He was no Wolf or Schubert, for sure. Three settings of Housman in the book, in the chapter on music.

      Delete
  10. Stunning cherries! I'd love to move into your neighbor house! It looks so cozy, quite different from houses here in Finland.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The fruit trees in bloom are beautiful right now! The house would be a wonderful winter place for you to escape all that ice and snow!

      Delete

Thanks so much for taking the time to comment! I love to hear your thoughts.