Spring? Or right into early SUMMER?

Some of the flowers that are now blooming at school.  There are lots of tulips/etc. in this flower bed and it looks really nice.  We had lots of blooming bulbs when we returned from spring break this week.  A few weeks earlier, when I took my students outside to look for signs of spring ... my students and I had noticed this 'hearty' leaf that had started growing through the 'decorative bark' that was in the way.  Can you see it?   *Click on the photo for a larger image.

In other news.  Yesterday, my Jeep temperature gauge said:  80*F.   I guess we are moving from upper 40's to mid 50's right into the 80's?   All I can say is I had some wool hand knitted socks on and I could hear my feet sending me messages... "HUMAN BODY, take these SOCKS off NOW!!!"  I don't care if it will hurt to walk barefooted on the sidewalk and the parking lot for the first time in months!  Do it!  DO IT NOW!!!  SOCKS OFF NOW!!!


I did manage to resist and wait until I got home.  I can see that this marble floor is going to come in handy soon... for cooling purposes!

For those in the states, especially in Colorado... who are currently or have recently been experiencing some of the snowstorms that have been recently in the news... while it might be nice, sunny, and 80*F here in northern Italy... just remember... in July when you are having nice 80*F temps... we'll be burning up here in Italy!!  

Happy Easter

Look!  Spring is finally showing up.  I now have beautiful blooming flowers in my yard.  It was quite a surprise since my front yard was nothing but 'dirt' when I moved in... the landlord will put grass in sometime this spring/early summer.

Water Lilies at a temple SOMEWHERE in Singapore

I found an old memory stick for my very nice large camera-- that I rarely take with me out and about anymore because it is larger.   So, I downloaded some of the images to see what was in the memory.   Look at how clear!  Do  you see the bees buzzing about?  The water droplets?   Maybe I should start taking photos with it again?  *Cough, cough... of course you'd have to go somewhere to take photos, right?    *Remember, you can click on the photo for an even larger image.

Some flowers found at the local German Garden Center

*Click on the photos for a larger/clearer view

In the area of Germany that I live, it seems that the national hobby is growing and maintaining a beautiful flower garden and/or the most amazing window flower boxes.







Window box flowers... aren't these amazing? My window box flowers make me happy.. but, I'm not sure what the secret is.. because, they aren't lush like these flowers are..

Happy Mother's Day

And what says MOTHER'S DAY better than flowers? Every week, new trees and plants are blooming in my yard and each new discovery is such a surprise to find... since, I moved in last fall. I went around and took some photos to share with you...



Here are some of the bulbs that I planted, that managed to survive the midnight snacking from the Nasty Garden Snails..




Some views of my outdoor patio area.. I also have a large balcony off my living room which is on the second floor actually on top of this patio. IF you happen to see the bags of cuttings from my yard clean-up.. please ignore them... I don't know where the 'organic recyle place is for my town'... all I know is that they don't pick it up from your house with the regular trash.

My newly planted HERB GARDEN... *My basil and parsley haven't been brought down with the other herbs yet.





Here's a view from my kitchen window (see the African Violets?) looking out onto one of my window boxes planted with flowers. I have these window boxes on all windows on the front of the house.

AND look at what I found outside and cut for a fresh bouquet. My living room smells so nice now.. of course, I did find a few bugs and spiders, as would be expected on the blossoms when I cut them, but of course.. now, it feels like bugs and spiders are crawling on me.. off and on.. at least I hope it's my imagination. :D



I hope everyone had a nice weekend...

Wah! I miss Yangjae Flower Market in Seoul, South Korea

Even if it was a subway ride with 2 transfers (meaning: lots of stairs and walking) that took me across the Han River and once out of the subway entrance to street level- then I had to take a taxi the next 2 miles to get to the flower market buildings... trust me it is always fun to get in a taxi and tell someone where to take you.. when you both don't speak each other's languages!


This market was amazing.. 5 enormous buildings and just full of flowers. This building was my favorite one. It was where the orchids were sold. If you look carefully, you'll see the signs with numbers? They each represent a different person's 'flower shop'.. I loved going to this place. The air was moist and smelled heavenly of flowers. It was like going to a Botantical Garden. The aisles were wide and no one was shoving and pushing- which is an unfortunate result of living in a city of 16 million. The shop owners were so nice and friendly- I don't think that many Americans were part of their regular customer base.

I have lived in Seoul three different times and in times past.. one of the shop keepers was near one of the exits and made a point to stop at her place last- Even though she and we/I didn't speak each other's language.. all it took was a gesture to our ear like we were using a phone and say "TAXI" and she would always call us a taxi and let us keep our bags of purchases in her shop so that we could make the rest of our purchases.. She sold fresh herb plants and I always planted herbs in a window box.

Here's a view of a couple of the aisles.



*Trust me, you'll want to click on the photos for a better view.
Here are just a few of amazing orchids that they sold...





















Needless, to say.. I always had orchids blooming in my apartment in Seoul.

There are only a few types of orchids for sale here.. the normal colors: white, that pinky purple color, and I have seen a few yellow ones for sale.. but, those are the basic orchids sold any place that sells orchids.

They are also twice the cost of the more exotic orchids found in the Yangjae Flower Market. I would make a Saturday morning outing of the flower market every couple of months. It was well worth the long subway journey to get there too.


There are always experiences, foods, views, and local experiences and cultures that you miss when you move from one place to another... even if it is just to a new house with a different view. I am missing Yangjae.

On the other hand, I have a yard, trees, and my own window boxes filled with new flowers ready to greet myself, my friends, and my neighbors.

My flowers

See here's proof that spring is on it's way to Bavaria, Germany






I purchased some flowering plants this weekend and I bought some huge bags of potting soil when I got off work yesterday. I put the new flowers in the window boxes. They already look so neat from the inside of the house too- I can see them when I walk by the windows. Here in Germany (and Italy where I lived) they build houses with really wide window sills on the inside and the outside of the house. Big enough to put those long flower boxes on them.

The flowers don't look like much now-- but, they should start growing and blooming like crazy soon. I also purchased 2 really, really big (read: heavy) flower pots for the steps going to my house and also for the downstairs patio area. I bought a collection of 'pink/purple' flowers for the downstairs patio area and potted them in one of the big container pots too.

Of course, buying flowers in a German Garden Center.. was a bit of a hit and miss.. I saw quite a few plants that were neat looking-- but, I wasn't familiar with them- so, I didn't know if they'd last all summer or if they'd do well in the full sun (outside balcony off the living room) or in shaded areas.. (downstairs patio area) or mixed sun/shade.. (front of the house) So, I stuck with plants that I recognized.

I also bought some herbs and will plant them this weekend. Yes, I did forget about them and didn't buy them a big flower pot. So, it's another trip to purchase a big flower pot for them.

Oh, a lot of the bulbs that I planted last fall.. have started coming up and even a few are flowering.. but, I apparently have a multitude of those pesky garden snails. It seems that quite a few have been snacking on the growing/flowering newly planted bulbs as a late night dessert snack. I know that these snails do help the soil- but, they went too far when they decided that new bulbs were midnight snack foods. and I bought some stuff that is supposed to get rid of them. I'll only put it in the flower bed areas by the downstairs patio.



AND.. since I haven't posted any knitting in awhile... what do you think that this is going to be?