“There was no sign of anybody, no sound of voices or feet. Tubs of arum lilies stood about on the stone floor, and on a table flamed a huge bunch of fierce nasturtiums. Spacious, flowery, silent, with the wide window at the end opening into the garden, and the Judas tree absurdly beautiful in the sunshine, it seemed….too good to be true.” ~ The Enchanted April.
On the last day of January I wanted, no, needed, to remember the joys of this month, as this, the middle month of the most harsh season of the year draws to a close.
I had spent the day alone, at home, with not a soul in sight; no sound of voices or feet. I don’t know why I looked outside when I did. I am so glad I did though, for there, just outside the door of my home, were my two old friends the Australian Wood Ducks, regular visitors to my garden who I haven’t seen since early September.
In that moment, all of the heat, rain, floods and cyclones of January didn’t seem to matter any more. Seeing these two creatures, so absurdly beautiful, having returned to my garden at long last, was truly enchanting. I had almost forgotten how beautiful they are, but only almost.
January is the month the ducks returned; January will remain in my memory as being an enchanting month.
In My World 
What a lush lovely view out your window. A feast for these winter-weary eyes …
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I love the idea of snow and could never imaging feeling weary about it Sybil, but then I have never in my life lived through a cold and snowy winter either. I could well be saying the same as you! I’m glad you enjoyed my summery photos. 🙂
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I think I remember your ducks from September – their coloring is sublime and your garden is verdantly flourishing! Over here the wind is howling and the landscape is dull and dreary for lack of a snow covering… I agree with Sybil – your pictures are a feast for winter-weary eyes…
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I’m happy to hear that my photos have brightened your winter Barbara. 🙂
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I am as enchanted as you were to see them again. When our friends depart for months on end, it’s always good to see them once more. We haven’t even seen many deer lately as they are laying low in the cedar swamps. By the way, I was stunned to see that it said February on this blog post. And here we still are being enchanted by January…lol…you are so far ahead of us!
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Now that would be something really special, to have deer visiting your garden. Our wild animals are so clever in finding safe areas where they are protected from the elements. I’m often amazed by the way they have their own inbuild timers too, telling them the time of day and when breeding season is and when bad weather is approaching. Their instinct are so superior to ours.
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Lucky you. I enjoy your way with words very much.
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Thank you so much, and thanks for stopping by. 🙂
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January went by relatively quickly, didn’t it? Seems like we were both recently lamenting about it not being a favorite month, and here it is February already. You’re ducks are lovely, and I’m glad you had an enchanting month!
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The year seems to be moving along too fast Karma! I think we need to adjust the clocks to slow down just a bit (hehe). 🙂
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Welcome back, Ducks! 🙂
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They thank you Robin. 🙂
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