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"The flowers of late winter and early spring occupy
places in our hearts well out of proportion to their size."
GERTRUDE S. WISTER
as seen on CountryLiving.com
Outside the day was cool, windy, and overcast. Inside the Muttart Conservatory—on the afternoon we visited—the place was bursting with Spring everywhere. There was an energetic buzz in the air as people of all ages converged to catch the city's first glimpses of Spring in the Feature Pyramid—everyone from the littlest babies out with their young moms to the elderly with their walkers and companions.
Faces looked happy and eager. I think we all felt Spring quickening in our bones as we walked into that showy, fragrant pavilion. It caught our breath - the air was heavy with the scent of hyacinth. I heard one fellow exclaim to his wife, "Can you smell that!" Oh yes - it alone was worth the price of admission.
Although I cannot send the fragrance, I'm hoping you'll take delight in these few photos of our visit. It was a lovely way to spend an afternoon.
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Tulips and Hyacinth
"You're only here for a short visit. Don't hurry. Don't worry.
And be sure to smell the flowers along the way."
WALTER C. HAGEN
as seen on countryliving.com
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"Before the swallow, before the daffodil, and not much later than
the snowdrop, the common toad salutes the coming of spring
after his own fashion. . . .
The pleasures of spring are available to everyone
and cost nothing. . . . As for spring, not even the narrow and
gloomy streets round the Bank of England are quite able to
exclude it. It comes seeping in everywhere."
GEORGE ORWELL
"Some Thoughts on the Common Toad", 1946
I read Orwell's delightful essay on Spring in my copy of the Spring Anthology
with editor Melissa Harrison. The piece can also be found online HERE.
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Tulips
"Just living is not enough...one must
have sunshine, freedom and a little flower."
HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN
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Double Daffodil
"To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow."
AUDREY HEPBURN
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Hyacinth
"Nothing is so beautiful as Spring."
GERARD MANLEY HOPKINS
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Hellebore
"Spring is when life's alive in everything."
CHRISTINA ROSETTI
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Hellebore
"The first blooms of spring always make my heart sing."
S. BROWN
as seen on goodhousekeeping.com
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Her name escapes me!
"A kind word is like a spring day."
RUSSIAN PROVERB
as seen on countryliving.com
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Camelia
"Spring adds new life and new beauty to all that is."
JESSICA HARRELSON
as seen on countryliving.com
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Amaryllis
"Despite the forecast, live like it's spring."
LILLY PULITZER
as seen on townandcountrymag.com
❦
Wishing you a beautiful day,
Brenda
Photos credits:
Brenda @ It's A Beautiful Life, 2023
The flowers look so beautiful. You must have had a great time. I wonder if there is such a place in my area? I will have to look into it. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteSo nice to see you, Mrs. White! It was a lovely outing - the flowers were such a perk to the soul. I hope you find something similar in your area. Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteThose were glorious photos, Brenda. Thank you so much for taking us with you! I could almost smell that gorgeous hyacinth fragrance. Ahhhhhh, spring. Hurry along and fill our hearts and minds with your utter joy. Lovely post, Brenda!
ReplyDeleteThank you! Appreciate your lovely note. Today it dawned sunny with a forecast for the temperature to be just above freezing. That's a sure sign for spring in these parts.
DeleteOh what a treat. I haven't been to the Muttart Conservatory in years. Mind you, each time I'm back in Edmonton there seems so little time to spend with family and catch up with a friend or two at the same time.
ReplyDeleteHappy St. Patrick's Day!
Diane, lovely to see you. The Muttart is such a lovely place to visit, and I especially love the Spring display in the feature pavilion this time of year. It was renovated recently and so you'd see changes if you ever visit in the future. There is a lovely café with nice coffees, sandwiches, cakes, and such. I don't even have anything green to wear on St. Paddy's Day, but then I do have sparkling green eyes, so I guess I'm good to go. Happy Friday!
DeleteGod tells us that He prepares places of rest. This place today was your post here. What beauty to sink one's heart into. The flowers, the quotes, perfect for weariness and the seeking of hope.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you found a bit of rest here for your heart today. Thank you for your kind words. Wishing you a beautiful day, Caitlynne. xo
DeleteSuch beautiful blossoms...the soul just yearns to see color and blossoms again. Sometimes a blog post takes
ReplyDeletecare of that.
Isn't it lovely how a blog post can, indeed, take care of that. I'm so glad for the colours and blossoms I could share with you today. Hope yours is a pleasant weekend. xo
DeleteGorgeous flowers and beautiful quotes! It is Spring here in Florida and the trees have new green leaves. This is a wonderful uplifting post! Hugs, Diane
ReplyDeleteDiane, thank you! How lovely to be right inside Spring already! We are catching glimpses of it and we are grateful for them. Wishing you a pleasant weekend.
DeleteSuch a gorgeous blog post, Brenda! What beautiful flowers!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Nellie! I'm so pleased to share a glimpse of the beautiful spring flowers I saw that day. It makes my heart happy to know you enjoyed them too.
DeleteThese photos are so beautiful, and lifted my spirits today. I'm getting impatient for spring and GREEN. So impatient that I bought some houseplants the other day, including a foxtail fern which is so gorgeous and I hope I don't kill it with my very non-green thumb. We're going to be away now for 10 days but I'm leaving instructions for our kind neighbour who will stop in every other day or so.
ReplyDeleteYour new houseplants are a perfect way to introduce some green into your still pale wintry world. I'm off to search what a foxtail fern looks like - it sounds lovely. Thanks, Joy, for taking a moment to write a note.
DeleteOh Brenda, the remembered scents of hyacinth and damp earth and fresh growing things came to me as I read your words and saw your photos. Today was a most spring-like day here, and I dared to wear a light jacket in place of my usual down one. Such a sense of freedom!
ReplyDeleteLorrie, I did think about a lighter jacket the other day but hesitated in the end. I remembered the sun is warm but the wind still has a decided bite to it. Look forward to the day when a light jacket is perfectly comfortable. While we enjoy these spring beauties blooming in a conservatory, you are undoubtedly seeing all sorts of new green buds and flowers emerging outside in your garden. Bliss!
DeleteYes!!!! Oh Brenda, it looks like SO many followers of yours deeply appreciated the “beauty” you shared with us today!!!! Again, I so appreciate that you give us the opportunities to dive further into some of the sources of the quotes such as the story of the road!☺️
ReplyDeleteIt has been SO cold here in Ohio the past few days. I have begun to see daffodils and tell myself that “I want to plant loads of bulbs so that next year I can see these gay reminders that Spring is truly on its way!!!!!!!
I must take a drive to the conservatory in Cincinnati to see their “Easter show!!”
Thank you, thank you!!!!!☺️💗🌷🌸🌝 ~ Ann
Ann, I hope that you are starting to feel some warmer days in Ohio and that the cold has moved on. Everything in our garden is still under snow so there is no sighting of anything green just yet here. The air is warmish today and the sun is shining so there is a definite feeling of the coming season. Thanks so much for your lovely words - wishing you a beautiful week ahead. xo
DeleteI love seeing all the beautiful blooms and reading the wonderful quotes. It's giving me such a feeling of anticipation as we get closer to spring every day. I have one daffodil that has opened up, and the forsythia is starting to flower. It's still cool, but we had two glorious days of sunshine before the rain and cold descends once again this week. Hoping you have a lovely week. x K
ReplyDeleteAnd now Spring has officially begun, regardless what the weather does. Yesterday it was sunny and beautiful and +6Cy. This morning, we woke to a grey and sunless day... which means we'll have to create our own sunshine on the inside. :) I hope, Karen, that soon all your daffodils will be in full bloom and that forsythia is filling your days with sunshine. Thanks for stopping by. xo
DeleteDelicious!
ReplyDeleteFeast for the eyes, indeed! Thanks, Gretchen.
DeleteBeautiful blooms, Brenda! The perfect place to visit at the beginning of spring. You know, I'm always so impressed by the quotes you add to your posts, they are always so beautiful and inspiring and always go with your writing.
ReplyDeleteAmalia
xo
Awww... thank you, Amalia. I'm so glad you enjoy the quotes, I do try to find ones that aren't so well known to mix it up with long time favourites. Happy day! xo
DeleteAh Brenda - this post is like a fresh spring visit. What a delightful way to spend a day. I adore those Hellebores. Mine did not seem to survive this year. Or at least they have not shown that they are still living. Well take care and have a great end of the week. Hugs!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Debbie. Those spring flowers that day really perked up the spirits. And today, here in northerly Alberta, we've had a stunning spring day. I even went out to pick up something at the grocery store in a light jacket - and not my winter coat. It was great! Wishing you a pleasant weekend coming up. xo
DeleteSuch beautiful flowers a joy to see.
ReplyDeleteAll the best Jan
Aww...thanks, Jan. :)
DeleteBeautiful pictures. I especially love the Hellebore. Such a sweet and yet interesting flower.
ReplyDeleteI have come to really love the Hellebore. It's as you say, Becki, such a sweet and interesting flower. And so many varieties. Thanks so much for stopping by. :)
Delete