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Cherry Blossoms – Lioness at Large

Cherry Blossoms

One thing that made me grin when surfing social media during my recent hospital stay was this post:

— both because of the “World’s Top Destinations” listing and for pitying the hordes of visitors flocking here these days to see the city’s famed cherry blossoms … because very recently it had looked more like they were actually going to see this:

The latest we’ve ever had snow, going all the way back to the beginning of weather being recorded almost 150 years ago. And that after we neither had anything even approaching a White Christmas nor, with the exception of a very nasty hail storm back in February …


(The biggest hail stones in this picture are / were a bit bigger than golf balls.)

… anything else resembling actual winter all (official) “winter” long — AND after temps had already almost reached 20°C (68F) in mid-to-late March.

Well, the bright sunshine is back only for moments at a time if that, but the blossoms are out indeed, and our local paper has duly been ablaze in pink and white lately (feature article in English HERE; photos HERE):

And just for good measure, here are a few images from features in the same newspaper that I shared on Facebook a few years ago:

I decided not to join the crowds, though; for one thing, I think I’d better take things a bit more slowly for the time being, and for another thing, I don’t much feel like braving any sort of crowd (a) now that masks are no longer mandatory here, (b) despite the fact that the pandemic is far from over.

Then again, I don’t actually have to join any sort of crowd to see pink blossoms; I can enjoy them right here in my own neighborhood!

(Note: As the bright sunshine and blue skies suggest, these photos (my own, in this instance) are not from this year, but they’re still true to what it looks like hereabouts every year at about this time, including right now.)

And once upon a time, we even had pink blossoms right in our own backyard — unfortunately, both of these trees had to be taken down in the interim. I’m not the only one to still mourn their passing.

7 thoughts on “Cherry Blossoms

  1. How beautiful! I’m getting excited about a few little (and I mean little) shades of green on my bushes outside and you have that! This week in Iowa (USA), they spoke of a dusting of snow and we woke up to snow on the grassy areas. I’m ready for spring – thanks for sharing the pictures.

    1. You’re very welcome! 🙂 When it snowed here just at the moment when the cherry blossoms were set to open, I just went “No no noooo — not NOW of all times!” I’m glad it was only a couple of days … seriously, who needs snow in early April, especially if you haven’t had snow all winter long and your only other type of severe weather has been hail storms?? I think we’ve turned the corner for spring once and for all now, though, and in the last two days or so, the blossoms have even caught some beautiful sunshine, too, after all.

      I hope spring will come really soon to your part of the world as well!

  2. Things of joy and beauty, however temporary and transient. Thank you for cheering me up after a quick hail shower under grey skies here in Wales!

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