First of May

Well today is the first of May, and spring is in the air. Most of the trees are in leaf, tho' the ash, as usual, is lagging behind. It's not that warm up here, but at least it's dry, so I'm outside playing with plants, sowing seeds mostly and doing other minor jobs. The steep bank from the deck down to the road was presumably once a simple road verge before the house was built around 1970, and in spite of the shrubs and trees planted on it is still a sea of wood anemones, lesser celandines and bluebells.

This rhododendron, still in its pot, is Rh. valentinioides, a fairly low-growing species from the Far East; this particular collection was by Ken Cox from the summit of Mount Fansipan in Vietnam.

The First of May can mean many things apparently - a spring holiday, a village in Argentina, a novice performer in their first season, International Workers' Day, a bookshop in Edinburgh, a symphony by Shostakovich, the name of several films and a few songs, notably one by the Bee Gees, released in 1969 -  I don't usually advertise my favourite pop songs, but I'll make an exception today! Here it is -  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMICiiaf4V4