Sakura Fever and 'Daffy' Daze by Janice Carter

I think I can safely say that spring is finally here in my part of Canada, southern Ontario. Considering this is the very last week of May and summer is officially only a month away, I have to add "it's about time!!"
    On Mother's Day weekend my daughter and I joined the hordes of people from all over Toronto and beyond for 'Sakura Hanami', or cherry blossom viewing. Judging by the street closures and packed transit, few were discouraged  by the cool, overcast and slightly drizzly weather.

    The tradition of cherry blossom viewing in Toronto likely began shortly after the cherry trees were planted in 1959 - 60 years ago. They were a gift from the government of Japan to the city and the story behind that can be found here - www.sakurainhighpark.com  That dark and shameful episode in my country's past history might weigh on the minds of an older generation of Japanese-Canadians at viewing time,  but for most of the thousands struck with sakura fever, the occasion is a celebration of spring and the beauty of Nature.

    It's also an occasion to wear traditional clothing or beautiful costumes and gather for family picnics beneath the heavy boughs.

    Still, this year sakura hanami was more of a tantalizing glimpse of spring rather than the real thing. A week later, our first arrival on Garden Island where we have a summer cottage was almost as inauspicious. Everything had been delayed by the cold 'spring' and the water was high, flooding gardens and docks. But the great meadow - the heart of the island - dazzled with daffodils of all varieties.








The  bulbs were planted over a few decades by my husband and have persisted and spread, in spite of invasive weeds,  bushes and competing wild flowers.
    Our annual 'daffy' viewing is a more modest affair than sakura hanami and my special clothing consists of jeans, fleece and rain boots, but the end result is the same - awe, and a lifting of spirits after the long winter.

Happy Spring at last!

Janice Carter




Comments

  1. Love the glimpse into a custom of your country, also the awareness that painful memories aren't easily forgotten. Where I am, it's been a strangely cold and dark May. Oh well. Spring is also in the heart.

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    1. I love that phrase - spring is in your heart- Callie. So true and something to remember in the long cold days.

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  2. Those are great photos--it looks a lot like NE Wisconsin, where May was cold and spring seemed so far off. It seems everything bloomed at once overnight. Your vase of flowers speaks of a beautiful summer to come!

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    1. I’m no gardener, Virginia (my husband has the green thumb), but I do love cutting flowers and having vases of them around all summer.

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    1. Thanks Liz, though my iPad didn’t really capture their beauty...even on a gray day there’s something magical about those blossoms!

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  4. Beautiful! Spring flowers are the best because they're the first after a long winter. Enjoy your summer.

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    1. You said it, Beth! Even ordinary blooms like tulips and daffodils are wonderful to see. And thanks, enjoy Alaska!

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  5. Enjoy your spring! It is now in the 90s here in North Mississippi. :-) But I'm not complaining. Love your daffy's!

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  6. Spring is still playing hide and seek here but it’s supposed to get up,to 70 today! :)

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  7. Spring was very late for us in Alberta, too, but we finally have some warm weather!

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  8. So happy to hear you are finally getting some spring weather.

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