On the wall where I'd cleared some of the ivy (here), I noticed some violets blooming. Violets have been celebrated since ancient Rome as the first flowers of springtime, so I was really moved to find them - spring must finally be on the way! Before long, hopefully, the new garden wall will be lush and purple with violets.
And then, as I was clearing some dead foliage nearby with my sickle, I unearthed a sword Jeremy had made almost entirely by himself about 5 or 6 years ago. He'd been was terribly proud of it, brandishing it as he marched around in the woods, and even taking it to bed with him at night. Until one day, when it mysteriously vanished. We spent days and days looking for it, in every conceivable corner of the woods, with no luck.
And today, in an overgrown corner of the terrace immediately behind the house, there it was! It was weather-stained and had a snail on it, and looked like an antique. And in fact it was an artifact of an earlier time in our family, when 5-year-old Jeremy marched around with a wooden sword in hand.
Now it was Rebecca's turn to admire the sword, though she seemed to love the snail even more, and really liked its pretty shell.
