Change-over time.

Over the last few days we've noticed that the winter birds have gone, or there are far less of them, and that the summer contingent has started to arrive.  No sign of our garden robin,  no sounds of magpies in the mulberry, but house martins swooping around - especially in the evening - and just one lonesome golden oriole has started to sing in a tree near the fuente in the mornings.

We normally have a lot of orioles in the mulberries near the house, no sight or sound of them yet,  the one up at the fuente is maybe the advance party. 

The iris's (is " iris's"  a plural or should it be something else?)  anyway they have almost finished flowering although the purple-blue ones seem to last longer,  the  geraniums and roses are in bud,  the tassel hyacinths are in bloom (photos from last year are on this link)  and most plants seem to have survived the -8 of early February.  But not the jasmine, or we don't think it's survived.  Although some of the wood seems to be green if you break it, the leaves have dropped off and there isn't yet any  sign of new growth.   We also have a small plant that was given to us, no idea what it is, a small almost tree-shaped plant with purple-blue flowers, not evergreen,  but that  is also looking very unhappy.  Again, green inside if you snap a twig so maybe there's life somewhere. 

The lettuces and coriander are still ok,  broad beans and peas a bit bent after the winds and hail of last week (at least we missed that although Pip probably didn't enjoy not being able to get indoors to hide under the bed - at least she had the kennel and Monty to keep her company)

Watering day yesterday,  spring cleaning the house today as we have glorious weather and  I put the rugs out on the balcony to shake and air off, they are still out there in the evening breeze.   Hope the wind doesn't pick up in the night or they'll drop down onto the driveway.

Pool emptying starts tomorrow,  then when it's clean we can repaint it and refill it.  Feels like we are getting ready for summer!