It’s Valentine’s Day and the island is being kissed by large lazy snowflakes, yes snow! It’s such a rare treat to wake up to snow and the excitement is palpable. Walking with our fur baby Sidney on this lovely Sunday morning, I could hear the laughter of children enjoying themselves as the snow began to fall heavier and heavier. It harkened me back to when I was a child playing outside while a blizzard raged around us and we listened carefully to the radio to hear if we would be lucky enough to enjoy a snow day!
Many people move to the island to avoid the cold and snow, however I think they secretly enjoy the odd snowfall as it creates such a magical vista and they know it will be short lived. The snowdrops, hellebores and daffodils are temporarily blanketed ready to burst forth and announce the promise of spring. As the rest of Canada hunkers down biding their time and hoping the Groundhog delivers, we watch the cherry trees blossom, the tulips reach for the sun and the rhododendrons ready themselves for a flowery display.
One very special aspect of living on the island is the weather. It is the environment that allows the spectacular array of flowers, bushes and exotic plants that our Mediterranean climate provides and where your gardening itch gets scratched. So let the snow fall, because when it’s gone, our attention will turn to the nurseries and greenhouses and we’ll seek out that stunning Hosta variety and start planning our vegetable gardens.
As a real estate agent, I hear stories of why people flock to the island. It’s because they can play golf all year, plan a new hike, hop in their kayaks and the gardening.........oh the gardening, we all dream of turning our properties into our personal Botanical Garden. February 14th sees the flower shops hopping as we appreciate those we love and wait for the promise of spring. Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!!