Robert Browning - Home Thoughts, from Abroad

There are only a couple of days left in England, and I've been thinking of this poem all month, so I thought I'd share it again.

O, 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!

Spring Bouquet

We bought our house last summer, and it's been fun to see what flowers are coming up in our yard.  Here's a lovely bouquet that I made from our inherited bulbs.

Thursday Text: Pippa's Song

A snippet of this poem came to me the other day, and when I looked it up I realized how appropriate it was for this time of year.  The name doesn't give much of a clue to the content, though.  It's Pippa's Song by Robert Browning.

The year's at the spring,
And day's at the morn;
Morning's at seven;
The hill-side's dew-pearl'd;
The lark's on the wing;
The snail's on the thorn;
God's in His heaven--
All's right with the world!

Boden Short Sleeved Tops

Being in Florida made me start thinking about a spring wardrobe.  I love the short sleeved tops in the new Boden catalog.  I don't have anything from Boden, but I can always dream - right?