Friday 11 February 2011

The first blooms...

Snowdrops are blooming, it must mean spring is near. They are a variety of bulb planted in abundance. You can find them on road sides, private and public gardens, hill sides, just about anywhere in the UK. They are just starting to peak out right now, but in soon they will blanket the environment. These tough little flowers will even bloom in the snow. (Thankfully we have been snow free for the most part this year especially after our heavy snow leading up to Christmas). We only planted about 20bulbs in the fall, and they are starting to peak through the ground in the slightly warmer areas (the barrels at the front of the house are slow going, little sunlight and insulation). It is nice to see the promise of warmer weather for it has been quite challenging for me during the depths of winter. Only about 6 hours of daylight has been a drastic change to my Florida weather. Little snowdrops are like little smiles from nature letting you know the reward for winter is coming....SPRING! Daffodils soon to follow!

Monday 7 February 2011

You win some You loose some

Well, we made it through regular season beyond expectations after the curve ball the off season threw us. We battled through the play offs to make it to "The Greatest Show on Earth" but we did't make it out on top. The English following this blog may not be sure what I am referring to but any American will know, I am speaking of my beloved Pittsburgh Steelers and the Superbowl last night. Excitingly enough the game was televised on BBC 1 for the 4th year in a row. May be American football will catch on here. Once again my husband and I stayed up beyond 3am to watch the action. We were down from the early minutes of the game, and although a valiant effort to come back brought us to within 3 points, we couldn't keep it together. Anyone from Pittsburgh always speaks as if they were on the field as well. We take our football (American football, not soccer) seriously and we bleed black and gold. We love our guys win, loose, or draw (not that we will stop at a tie, that is what overtime is for!) It is disappointing to be taking down our Terrible Towels knowing there is an "L" in the books for the final game, but we are already looking forward to next season and the excitement it will bring. A few less nail-biters of games might be nice!