On the Road Again. . .

But oh, The Garden I'll Miss, All the Spring, Spring-ing

I’m taking a quick break from trying to decide whether to remove some items, or add others, to a carry-on case (which I’m probably going to check for my flight, so don’t yell at me ;-) . . .

In a minute, I’ll go for a de-stressing walk while wearing the black patent-leather, lug-soled loafers which I’m (still) trying to break in so that I can be as chicly shod (sans blisters!) as I hope to be in Paris this week (don’t worry, my sneakers are packed; wouldn’t leave home without them).

This morning, I started a new Moleskine travel journal (separate from my travel sketchbook) — and I’m almost finished copying out my itinerary. I like using the Tripit app (not an ad; just a fact), but I also like to have a hard copy of all my lodging and transportation and activities information.

And besides taking breaks here, from all the tasks on my to-do list; besides heading out for deep-breathing walks in my still-too-new shoes; I’m also sneaking out onto the terrace to peek into all the pots, delighting in all the new growth while also lamenting that I will miss the crazy frenzy of blooms and buzzes (the mason bees are likely to emerge in the next two weeks) and fuzzes (magnolia buds).

Week before last, I pulled out my Spring 2023 sketchbook and found a page inspired by a Lucia Leyfield workshop. . . and that page inspired this year’s iteration. Turns out that we were a week or two later this year — at least in the first week of March — than we were last year.

But the party’s started now. Have a peek:

Ribes sanguineum,

aka Flowering Red Currant

I should note that around the city, on my walks, I see many of these shrubs in much fuller flower, but ours doesn’t get much direct sunlight.

This adiantum (sorry, don’t know which one — Let’s just call it another Maidenhair fern) is pretty happy avoiding the sun. I love seeing all those slender new pink shoots rolling out their fiddleheads, soon to be unfurled. . .

A brunnera spreading itself around the base of an ornamental maple — (whose delicately fingered leaves will be waving adults by the time I get home, sigh!)

The corydalis lutea has seeded its way into numerous pots in the several years since my friend Alison brought me over a few plants she’d dug up from her garden (just a few gardens away from my old home where I had to leave behind so many old plant friends).

And the corylopsis spicata! I’m so pleased at how much more abundantly it’s flowering this year than last, and grateful that it shook loose a few of the dainty, buttery blooms before I left. Yes, I’m excited about this trip (although the timing is in deference to schedules other than my own), but I do love watching the Winter Hazel’s leaves unpleat as they grow to full size, and I will miss the show . . .

So I’ve scooted out for that walk, home now, and Paul has poke bowls ready for us to eat while we watch a few episodes of Surface. . . I’ve still got some work to do on my itinerary, but it looks as if I’ll be able to close my suitcase without too much overflow to carry in my little backpack. Need to feed my sourdough starter so it won’t starve while I’m gone, and I’m still dithering a bit about what to carry in my sketching kit (Koosje Koene’s recent Draw Tip Tuesdays video covered “What to Pack” for Travel Sketching, very helpful). Just about ready to wield my boarding pass. . .

Readers might want to check out “What I Read in February” — for now, I’m posting these book posts on my blog because the conversations there have built a community that means much to me and so far, some Substack readers are finding it challenging to comment here. Besides my own brief reports about what I read last month, readers always contribute a wealth of suggestions.

But I’m hungry now, so I’ll close here and send this out to you. I’ll be writing and sending you postcards as I travel . . . Maybe you’ll Comment, meanwhile, to tell me what’s happening in your garden or in landscapes around you as the seasons change. Or tell me what kind of travel prep you do “the day before”? Are you so well organized you have no prep left? Or is your washing machine working non-stop so you have clean garments to pack? Still booking hotels? Guided by serendipity or planned to a T? Do tell!

xo,

f