I am starting the 31 day blog challenge. The challenge is to post to my blog 31 times in this month of May 2021. The last time I took up the challenge was February.
Today I will start with a short post to get warmed up. I say warmed up because taking some of the pictures in February was difficult. I had trouble operating the small camera buttons with my gloves on. The touch sensor on my iPhone camera would not work with gloves on. When I took the gloves off, my fingers got so cold and numb that they would not work on the buttons either.
May will be better. I usually have a stock of photos to share after returning from my winter vacation. Well, this year there was no winter vacation. A year of travel restrictions has depleted my stock of new photos and I have had to go out and explore my neighborhood and take a camera on the walk with me.
With the spring weather, some plants are starting to show signs of life. That gets me to the topic of this post, the Forsythia bush. It is one of the first to signal spring is here. The bare branches suddenly explode into color. I wake up one day and notice that there are fully developed flowers on the ends of the branches. The leaves have not emerged yet. There is another tree that does this about the same time. That will be my topic for tomorrow.
The Forsythia is a member of the olive tree family. Knowing that makes me think of warmer climates and travelling.
Are there any places you would like to visit that are just waiting for travel restrictions to be lifted?
I have four places on my list. Do you think there might be a pent up demand for travel when it is safer to do so?
I love forsythia because when I see it I think of spring and the hope of better weather.
The flowers are the flag that signals the time to put the first fertilizer on the lawn.
Glad to see you back at the challt Doug! I love traveling with you through your photos and your Forsythia is beautiful!
Hi Martha I have been following your post with Lia. You two have never stopped. My granddaughter, in the UK, is about the same age as Lia and we visit a lot on FaceTime. It is not the same as being there.
These are gorgeous photos! I do miss traveling. I like to take my kids hiking and to see all the waterfalls around us. Weather is getting closer…soon.
Hi April
There is a well-known waterfall near here. It is a rather long hike but only two hours by car.
Have you ever been to Niagara Falls?
It is pretty spectacular in the winter too with the ice and the coloured lights.
Those are lovely pictures! I do think there will be a burst of travel when everyone feels safe. I am still not quite there yet though!
My wife and I were booked on a cruise around Japan on the Diamond Princess for April of last year to see the cherry blossoms 🌸. Well that didn’t happen. Maybe next year.
Lovely pictures! I want to travel again internationally! Japan is the big desire soon!
For now we will have to be satisfied with finding local cherry blossoms.
I love my Forsythia bush. I know spring is on it’s way. Walking around my neighborhood in the spring I am taking pictures also.
Ahhh another tourist in their own back yard. (Y)
I don’t believe I am familiar with this tree, Doug. However, our Saskatoon and Haskaps are budding out nicely. Crazy spring weather here on the prairies. Summer yesterday. Feels wintry today. So I’m thinking of the Caribbean today.
Here, north of Toronto, we are promised another week of rain and temperatures hovering around 10C. At the end of that there will be a big change in the spring growth of the plants. I see you are enjoying your green house. Almost Caribbean temperatures inside?
Doug, I love your forsythia! My mother had some flanking our Delaware house long ago. I was photographing in Denver, a few years ago, during the Polar Vortex. Had the same issue you describe, trying to operate the camera without losing fingers. But it was worth the challenge! Glad you’re blogging this month.
There might be a special glove with a fabric in the finger pads that works with touch screens. The pair that I tried in a store did not work. Probably a cheap imitation.
thank you for the beautiful pic; i do not think i have seen the forsythia before..
as far as travel, it is hard to say how much things will change once travel restrictions are eased.. i do know we have a list of places we want to visit though
You either have to go exploring or learn to recycle!