A (Very Small) Break in the Weather

I actually woke up to sunshine this morning (still sleeping in later than usual due to the receding illness). What a gift that was! So I went out for a short walk - the first in two weeks if you can believe it. If you knew me, you'd know that I exercise in some form every day, sometimes more than that depending on the activity. But it's been great (and critical) to rest. 

I came across some interesting spring-like things on my walk today. Pieris japonica or Lily-of-the-Valley Bush is now blooming in our front garden. It's got a lovely light fragrance and is really quite beautiful to the eye. Plus, if you have a clump of blossoms in your hand, they actually make a lovely rustle-y noise when you shake them. Go try it :-)

One of my neighbors has a patch of daffodils that are the first to bloom in the neighborhood every year (although January? Hmmm...). At any rate, you can see in the extras that they'll be opening up with just a hint of sun on them! 

The other extra is of a heather in another neighbor's yard. My garden is not well-drained enough for heather, so I'm always delighted to see a happy clump. 

So a bit of spring-like blipping from Portland!