Good afternoon, lass. Yes, days are getting longer by one or two minutes each day. Soon it will be work, work, work. Sun on our faces, dirt on our hands. Sitting on the back porch with the tea tray again, can't wait.

Just got back from grocery shopping, had to go to three stores to get all the ingredients I needed for some recipes. I hate doing that. There were three bags of stuff to put away in the cupboard, but first my little dog needed to go out. She was crossing her legs by the time I got home!

Meanwhile I found a message on my answering machine from Mom. She and my stepdad had their little Peke put to sleep this morning, the animal clinic had sent them a beautiful planter with carnations and she wanted my opinion on the wording of a thank you card. She said they both had a good cry and so far this afternoon are doing ok. It's such a hard thing to go through. :(

Anyway, here is my new "Wind in The Willow" cup/saucer and dessert plate! It's one in the series and is called "The Picnic" - my favorite thing, picnics. Only I'm having a sandwich instead of a pastry as I'm just now getting some lunch. Probably won't eat supper. I'm waiting for the kettle to whistle.
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Schoolhouse- So sorry about your mom's and stepdad's loss. That's never easy, but how thoughtful of the clinic.

Your dishes are beautiful! I would love to find something like that for the fairy garden. Very pretty violet teapot, too :)

I am so ready for spring! We are still six to eight weeks away, before the daffodils start blooming, but I'm hoping it will be closer to six. After that, my dark purple hyacinths, which the bumblebees just love!

You are so funny! I could just picture your little dog, standing there with her legs crossed! LOL

TWITW is a pattern I wouldn't have purchased back then, I always thought it was more for children; but since vintage RA is getting harder to buy and I got a big discount, I spent the money on it. It is pretty, lots of detail. Esp. love the little bees inside the cup and middle of the saucer.

I hope my new David Austin's "Charlotte" yellow rose makes it through all this ice. Altho I haven't ventured down through the garden for several days, it's like a skating rink all around my house, I can see from the back porch that some big pieces of the old lilacs have broken and are laying on the ground, and some of the privet is drooping ominously. Time will only tell if the boxwood has come through unscathed. I didn't put up any burlap barriers this Fall for the ones that get most of the wind.

Daffs should be ok, and I think the new red/white tulips should be too.

Schoolhouse- The little bees are adorable! I didn't really notice them before, but they're very cute :)

As for the cold, I believe your Charlotte is zone 4. Is she an own root rose? Sometimes they can survive the cold, a little better than a grafted rose. Charlotte is supposed to be a very hardy rose, so I think she'll be fine.

The lilacs should be okay, too. Mine get beat up some years (a tree actually crashed through the white one a few years ago) but they always rally. Just a good prune, to them, especially if they're good sized shrubs! LOL

I hope your privet and boxwoods are alright. I don't grow those, but if there's snow on the ground, they should be pretty protected...at least the roots.

Have you seen Annie lately? I saw some terrible weather on the news, down in Oklahoma, and thought of her. An SUV slid off the interstate into the river and other terrible accidents. Oklahoma and Texas have been really hard hit...and they just aren't used to real winters! I hope you defrost soon...and the daffodils will be blooming, before you know it! :)