When the sunlight is just starting to get a little warmer, although the breeze is still cool and the flowers are at blooming in their most abundant (not the fresh, new spring buds but the heavy masses of fragrant blossoms everywhere you look, even the weeds are flowering) it feels like my birthday 
I think there is just certain weather that makes it feel like a holiday, when I wake up in the morning and it is already hot and dry it feels like christmas. I don’t think I’ve had such a beautiful morning walk in a long time.
Along the way I picked up a parcel from the post office (our masks for the ball this weekend!) and stopped by the library to borrow some new books. I had absoloutely no plans for the afternoon beyond curling up with one of said books and a cup of tea. 
The tea is Lady Grey, a sweet citrus-y blend with lemon and orange peel, bergamot and tiny dried cornflowers, loose leaf tea is so pretty and fragrant! Lady Grey has become a bit of a favourite at the palace of late and we have been serving it at our tea parties.
The book is a biography of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire. 
The Duchess was such a fascinating woman, she had an amazing sense of style and taste in the arts and was a personal friend of Marie Antoinette! I am looking forward to learning more about her. I am also reading Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell which I have been meaning to for years and am I’m glad I finally found it.
Today we have a holiday in celebration of the Queen’s birthday! 
Queen Elizabeth II of England that is. I have a lot of respect for our current Sovereign, she has been through a lot in her reign and still has so much dignity and grace, isn’t she beautiful in this picture of her youth? Although her actual birthday is April 21st, here in australia we celebrate it on different days in each state (its a strange custom I know) however, noone seems to complain about having the day off!
