You just can't feel melancholic when cherry blossom is around.  Fact.  You see, even the photo made you happier. 

 And so it is for the birds also, who have started their orchestral mutterings this week in particular with great determination, as if tuning up for the symphony to come over the coming months.

 There is something about the cherry blossom which enforces communal satisfaction.  So with that in mind, here are some images for general happiness.

 And the award for Best Supporting Actor goes to... the grape hyacinth collective

 Even the moss was aglow today, growing on today's featured cherry tree

And bizarrely, the first frond of wisteria has come out.  A bit early, I'd say.  But it's going to make for a lovely visit on Iford's first open day of the season this year:  Sunday 3rd April, 2-5pm

Spring, mark 2.

Spring arrived properly this week.  Here is another volley of photos from the garden, taken yesterday afternoon.  Magnolia budding up:

The ornamental cherry gives a subtle hint of what's to come:

Here seen from the other side of the fish pond:

A rose waits for the right moment:

The Oriental garden, youthful light greens sneaking in:

And finally, showing how fast stone will darken after sheering off.  The top section sheered off in 2010.  The bottom chunk fell away in February.  Nature doing its bit - not much we can do about that...

Iford Recordings: a new venture

I am delighted to announce plans for the very first DVD recorded in association with Iford Arts, in the wonderfully romantic Cloisters at Iford.  This is a project born out of a long-standing desire to bring the atmosphere and intimacy of this extraordinary space to a wider audience, and to do so by working with artists who truly understand the acoustic, ambience and ethos of Iford, both as a community and as an idyllic valley.

Last year, Iford Arts invited Tim Kliphuis and his trio to perform a concert as part of Iford's ongoing series of Jazz promenade evenings.  It became very clear from the start that we had in our midst a rather special creator of inspirational music.

After the concert of gypsy-inspired, improvisatory genius, I approached Tim and asked him speculatively what he thought of the venue for recordings.  We fell to chatting as he loaded the car.  Four months later, he sent me an email, and the project was born.  Tim, it seems, had caught the Iford bug...

Visiting us as a quartet, this time, Tim will be bringing the world-renowned jazz pianist David Newton, who has himself recorded with some of the world's great jazz singers and players.  We'll be able to release more information on the line-up as time goes on (well, you wouldn't want to know it all at once, now, would you?).

The important information, however, is that you can pre-order the DVD at a special price, for delivery in November 2011.  Now, the special offer is 2 for £25 (normally £20 each!) - one for you, and one for a friend at Christmas.

The recording will take place in June, and we are planning a DVD packed full not only of the live concert in the cloisters, but including those little vignettes which make DVDs so intriguing - the bits you don't see when you go to the lovely polished concert.

Order your copies now, at this special price:  www.IfordRecordings.co.uk/kliphuis.html

The green shoots of recovery

Nope, not an article about the economy, sadly.  However following a second harsh winter in a row, it never ceases to amaze me how nature bounces back with her trademark optimism: spring flowers and green shoots.

Here are some photographs of the garden taken yesterday, in the soft evening light unique to the early spring.  Note the winter housing still covering much of the statuary.  They don't like the cold much.  And as for the bald patches in the borders (it's only March after all), I love seeing the signs of potential as the bedding plants unravel, reaching up to the sun, stretching for the warmth of the months to come.  Lovely.