Springtime melodies

The band weren't actually playing 'Younger than Springtime' but they might as well have been ... or maybe 'Younger IN Springtime' would have been a more appropriate title.  Crowds of people of all generations gathered around the bandstand in Saltaire's Roberts Park to listen to the Hall Royd Band giving the first concert of the 2011 season.  The bandstand (new last year to replace the original Victorian one that had long since disappeared) looked picture-perfect encircled by blossom trees, its dome sparkling in the sunshine.  I definitely think that a good brass band playing in the bandstand is my favourite; the sound was terrific.  I've heard smaller ensembles and different types of music but somehow the sound of brass works best.  The audience, including the four silver-haired ladies on the bench, were clearly enjoying the entertainment and the wonderful weather.

Magnificent magnolia

Magnolia trees are in full bloom in gardens and parks here.  I found this one in the centre of Shipley, just opposite St Paul's Church.  They always amaze me - they look far too exotic for this cold little country and far too exuberant to bloom in early spring.  In fact, many years they get blasted by frost and soon go brown.  The pink camellia also in the photo is a little bit scorched in parts.

Here's a little known fact (well, according to Wikipedia anyway!) - the Magnolia genus is so ancient that it predates the appearance of bees, and evolved to be pollinated by beetles.

Candyfloss

My colleague - a keen gardener - came back to work after lunch the other day, enthusing about this tree in Shipley's market square.  He was so lavish in his praise that I just had to make a detour on my way home to have a look - and photograph it of course.  He was right in saying that it is absolutely laden with blossom - so much so that it reminds me of one of those sticks of pink candyfloss you can buy at funfairs.  Isn't it glorious to have this exuberance of natural beauty right in the middle of the shopping centre (an urban desert if ever I saw one)?

With the storm clouds overhead, it might be only a matter of days before the blossom is dashed to the ground with wind and rain, but here it is captured, a lovely reminder of how spring-life suddenly bursts forth from winter.  Maybe gardeners would correct me, but it seems a bit counter-intuitive to me that after a long and harsh winter we should have blossom earlier than usual and in such abundance.  Still, I'm enjoying it.

Saltaire in pink and green

Some early pink blossom looks pretty against a backdrop of ivy and a pinkish door.   Spotted on Albert Road in Saltaire.

Blossom bonanza

What a difference a week or so makes... Suddenly the blossom (buds virtually invisible to the eye before I went on holiday) bursts forth in a riot of exuberance. This is the scene about 100 yards from my house. The colour makes a very ordinary urban scene look quite rural and pretty. The low building is not a barn (ha!) but a row of garages. These are a much sought-after commodity in Saltaire. One was for sale recently and I imagine it fetched a price reminiscent of a beach-hut on the south coast!

I do love this time of year, and always enjoy seeing this row of (I think) cherry trees in bloom. There are two sorts: dark pink and light pink, and the combination is very attractive. Their blossoming is usually a cue for a bout of wild and windy weather. In a week or two, the whole street will resemble the street of a thousand weddings, as all the petals drop to the ground like so much confetti.