Springs' Eternal Hope

"And Spring arose on the garden fair,

Like the Spirit of Love felt everywhere;

And each flower and herb on Earth's dark breast

rose from the dreams of its wintry rest."

~Percy Bysshe Shelley

Every year, I wait for this time with anticipation. Not just because it's getting warmer, and the day light starts to linger a little longer, but because it's the time of the year when everything begins to awaken...especially the garden! There are new buds on the plants, and heads starting to form which will soon be in bloom.

And this year finally...the moment I've been waiting for...my Rhododendron has produced it's first flower (pictured above). Unless you're into flowers, gardens and plants, the excitement will probably be lost on you...but that's okay. Why am I so excited?! Well, I lovingly planted my rhododendron two years ago! Yes...that's right...2 years ago...and I've been waiting for it to flower, ever since.

Now what makes it so special, is that Rhodendrons are not easy to grow in Brisbane's climate and soil. They prefer climates which are a little colder and with a little more rainfall. It's also special, because I drove to Toowoomba to find this plant. And it happens to have been cultivated especially for Brisbane's climate, so I faired a better chance of success. The flower is very similar to a double azalea, and if you're wondering, azaleas and rhodendrons come from the same family and are acid-loving plants (and they do like water!).

As you can see from the photo with Philomena, she appears to be ringing her hands with glee. I know for a fact that she would love to pick the flower, but I have given her strict instructions not to touch this plant or flower...or else! I'm afraid she's at that wonderful age where she takes great delight in picking every flower she can get her hands on, much to my consternation. I prefer flowers 'on' the plant! It's hard to say no sometimes though, because she just loves to smell them (even if they don't have a smell), and then give them to mummy.

I'd love to share my beautiful Pierre de Ronsard climbing roses with you too, but they haven't flowered yet. They have buds on them, and I'm afraid they're going to bloom while I'm away, and I'll miss seeing them! I'll have to leave instructions for Anthony to take photos of them. I can't wait for it to climb over the entire trellis and show off it's wonderful blooms!

Okay...enough about plants. Decided to have a swim today as my cardio session, as the running and squatting has left the back a little sore. I haven't done any swimming for at least a couple of months, so I paid dearly for the break! My efforts nearly saw me have a puke, so I was happy with that. And my back and overall body feels good for the swim.

Tomorrow is my last Crossfit session until I return from Kapooka, and then I'm pretty darn busy getting all my last minute stuff ready for Thursday. Had a medical today at Enoggera barracks and collected my med docs to take down with me. Was given the all clear, so all is good. I have one more martial arts session before I leave, and apart from that will start to get my head around what I need to be doing to keep on top of things mentally and physically, so I need to get myself psyched, and a positive frame of mind. The last couple of nights solid sleep has left me feeling fantastic after last week's sniffles and a little sickness, and my training has felt much better this week too. So I think I'll definitely be more than ready for Kapooka!

Anyway...have a great weekend everyone. Haven't had a chance to catch up on everyone's blog. If I don't get a chance, I apologise. There's still so much to do, and so little time. Just know that I'll be thinking of you all!

Talk soon...Kerry :-)