{quotable thursdays}

HOME THOUGHTS FROM ABROAD

Oh, to be in England

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!

And after April, when May follows,

And the whitethroat builds, and all the swallows!

Hark, where my blossom'd pear-tree in the hedge

Leans to the field and scatters on the clover

Blossoms and dewdrops—at the bent spray's edge—

That 's the wise thrush; he sings each song twice over,

Lest you should think he never could recapture

The first fine careless rapture!

And though the fields look rough with hoary dew,

All will be gay when noontide wakes anew

The buttercups, the little children's dower

—Far brighter than this gaudy melon-flower!

   -Robert Browning

Thanks to my dearest cousin, Choo for this poem in an email the other day. He's very excited that I'm moving to the UK...and so am I! It certainly doesn't feel like spring around here. But it does feel like things are coming to an end here in VT. I'm hosting my farewell party this weekend, so will post pics of that soon... & I will arrive in the UK in May when all is aflower & hopefully the sun will be shining (although that's wishful thinking for England!)
Happy Thursday, happy spring, happy blossomed trees, happy chaffinch singing on the orchard bough!

{spring time croquet, from Ruche}

{spring in the english country}

{spring picnic}

{brilliant!}

{spring blossoms}

{english spring flowers}

{the grounds of Highclere Castle/Downton Abbey with wellies of course!}

& English roses:

{tweet tweet}

xo,

L