Oh, to be in England
Home Thoughts from Abroad, Robert Browning
Now that April’s there,
And whoever wakes in England
Sees, some morning, unaware,
That the lowest boughs and the brushwood sheaf
Round the elm-tree bole are in tiny leaf,
While the chaffinch sings on the orchard bough
In England – now!
I have no photos of chaffinches to share this April. But this is cherry blossom (sakura) month in London, and it has been a wonderful spring for blossom on the street trees of Ealing.
So here, instead of chaffinches are some of my favourite photos of them, and a few other flowers thrown in for good measure. All shared for this week’s Lens-Artists Challenge theme of Colourful April. Although, I have to confess, a couple of these photos were taken at the very end of March!
All photos taken in Ealing in spring 2021
39 Comments
Anne Sandler
Wonderful post and photography Sarah. Those types of blossoms are just starting here in northern California. Your images are just beautiful.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you so much Anne 🙂 Enjoy your own spring blossoms when they arrive!
Leya
Ah, they all sing of spring! Lovely gallery!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Ann-Christine, so nice to hear from you 🙂
Leya
I know I am slow right now…unfortunately I have lost my photography joy.
Sarah Wilkie
I do hope it comes back – in fact, I am sure it will!
Leya
♥
gaiainaction
Beautiful! And oh I so love that poem, it really does call thoughts of spring time.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed both the poem and photos 🙂
pattimoed
Hi, Sarah. What beautiful, hopeful, colorful images! Lovely. I love the cherry blossoms.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Patti – they do give you a lift, that’s for sure!
Oh, the Places We See
I’ve never lived near cherry blossoms, and I’ve only seen a profusion of them once. In Washington, D.C. Your pictures are awesome — so clear and colorful and delicate. Thanks for sharing with us all.
Sarah Wilkie
Glad you enjoyed these Rusha 🙂 I’ve heard that the cherry blossom in Washington, D.C. is something special although I’ve not (yet) been there myself.
lisaonthebeach
Great photos Sarah! I particularly like the photo with the green parakeet!! 💚💚
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Lisa 🙂 Interestingly I nearly didn’t include that shot as it’s so grainy – taken through the bedroom window on a dull day! But then I decided it added something different to the mix so left it in. I’m happy you liked it!
lisaonthebeach
I think sometimes we try too hard for the perfect photo rather thank just enjoying the photo! 😎
lisaonthebeach
oops 😁 …rather than just enjoying the photo!
Sarah Wilkie
I think you’re probably right 🙂 I know I can be guilty of that!
Anna
Simply glorious!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Anna 🙂
wetanddustyroads
Your pictures are really lovely 🌸.
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much!!
restlessjo
Glorious blossoms, Sarah! 🙂 🙂
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Jo! 😀
JohnRH
Beautiful photos! Wonderful Robert Browning selection.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you John, I’m glad you enjoyed both the photos and the choice of poem 🙂
Ingrid
I love the cherry blossoms. Now if only I could smell them 😁 I used to enjoy visiting Washington D.C. during cherry blossom season. Oh so pretty! Lovely images.
Sarah Wilkie
Oh yes, internet smells could be wonderful for flower blogs etc! But maybe not everything? 😆
margaret21
You’re well ahead of us Sarah. I couldn’t possibly produce a gallery like this yet. So this is a lovely preview-treat.
Sarah Wilkie
I’m still always surprised, despite many years of visiting Newcastle around Easter, how much earlier we get our spring flowers compared to further north. Someone told me recently that the difference is reckoned to be on a par with the speed at which an average person could walk north – that is, if you set off from the south coast on 1st April you would see the same flowers emerging each day as you progressed northwards. But I have no idea if that’s true!
margaret21
That’s an interesting comparison. I’ll have a think about that.
maristravels
We forget sometimes just how many lovely blooms and blossoms we are gifted with in our part of the world. Here on the Isle of Wight, we have more magnolia than cherry and almost every other garden boasts one. I don’t have any as my garden is too small, but my damson tree is about to bloom as well as the espaliered apple tree. Your gallery is wonderful, gorgeous photos, the cherry blossom best of all.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Mari, I’m glad you enjoyed these 🙂 Our garden is too small for a magnolia tree too, but I can enjoy the very many we have in neighbouring streets’ front gardens!
Tina Schell
Beautiful images Sarah – I’m amazed that so much is blooming already in your corner of the world! You’ve shown Ealing at its beautiful best! Loved the magnolia tree especially.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Tina 🙂 Yes, the magnolia is my favourite too. That shot was taken last Sunday and already many of the magnolias here are past their best and the cherry blossom too. It’s almost time for the blackthorn bushes to be at their best, our lilac and apple tree are nearly flowering and soon we’ll have horse chestnuts lining the paths in our local park and part of our main road too 🙂
thehungrytravellers.blog
It’s great to see Spring colours emerging everywhere isn’t it…the first bluebells are just peeping through in the woodlands here now, just starting to join the bright yellow celandine, pristine white of the wood anemones all across the verdant green carpet. It’s starting to look good!!
Sarah Wilkie
Yes, it really gives me a lift to see all these flowers. We have a few bluebells out in our local cemetery (but I didn’t have any photos good enough to share!) and celandines in all sorts of spots (but same problem there 😆 )
Amy
Breathtaking colorful spring blossoms, Sarah. I love your Cherry blossom captures. We don’t have pink Magnolia here, only white. Due to the bad snow storm in January, I haven’t seen any Magnolia flower so far, but we had a bunch last spring. Fabulous gallery. Thank you for sharing!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Amy 🙂 I love magnolia and we’re lucky to see white, pink and (less common) almost crimson varieties in our gardens!