Oh to be in England now that April's HERE

As we wandered through an idyllic scene on Sunday these words came to mind.

HOME-THOUGHTS, FROM ABROAD

Oh to be in England
Now that April's there,
And whoever wakes in England
Sees, some morning, unaware,
That the lowest boughs and the brushwood sheaf
Round the elm-tree bole are in tiny leaf,
While the chaffinch sings on the orchard bough
In England - now!

And after April, when May follows,
And the whitethroat builds, and all the swallows!
Hark! where my blossomed pear-tree in the hedge
Leans to the field and scatters on the clover
Blossoms and dewdrops - at the bent spray's edge -
That's the wise thrush; he sings each song twice over,
Lest you should think he never could recapture
The first fine careless rapture!
And though the fields look rough with hoary dew,
All will be gay when noontide wakes anew
The buttercups, the little children's dower
- Far brighter than this gaudy melon-flower

Robert Browning (1812 - 1889)
There has been a chaffinch in our apple tree boughs that wakes me up in the morning tapping on the glass. He has the sweetest song.
This is the scene at Wayland woods, a 15 minute drive from here. The air itself seems to have a bluish tinge. There are early purple orchids too.
We took my sister Suez here two years ago, when she came out to celebrate Ricardo's 60th birthday. By the way happy blog readers, it's his birthday tomorrow and I have a strawberry tart in my sites and sticky Thai garlic prawns for dinner.
In the mean time enjoy these pictures & see if you can get just the slightest hint of hyacinth from them.
Happy birthday my beautiful boy.