Everything looked radiant in the glow of the golden hour, before the sunset dimmed it to violet and blue. This surreal light quality created halos around everything, lighting up the late daffodil blossoms from inside like so many tiny lanterns.

I stayed outside for as long as I could and took many pictures, I didn’t want to miss this little slice of heaven that opened fleetingly before my eyes. Every day there is a chance for the golden hour, but the actual occurrence of one is quite rare, especially so early in the year.

Being inside this light, however briefly, makes one realize how beautifully complex life is and how easily it blends together in harmony and peace. Time feels different and makes all the problems in the world subside and everything looks perfect just the way it is. One of the benefits of gardening is that one is outdoors frequently enough not to miss these moments.

As I lifted my eyes in this quasi-dreamlike state I gasped with surprise when I noticed the fragrant white bunches of French lilac swaying gracefully over my head, I kind of stopped expecting it to bloom after so many years.
It bloomed before the dwarf variety too, I didn’t expect that either. My garden loves to enchant me every now and then.

Author's Bio: 

Main Areas: Garden Writing; Sustainable Gardening; Homegrown Harvest
Published Books: “Terra Two”; “Generations”; "The Plant - A Steampunk Story"; "Letters to Lelia"; "Fair"; "Door Number Eight"; "A Year and A Day"; "Möbius' Code"; "Between Mirrors"
Career Focus: Author; Consummate Gardener;
Affiliation: All Year Garden; The Weekly Gardener; Francis Rosenfeld's Blog

I started blogging in 2010, to share the joy of growing all things green and the beauty of the garden through the seasons. Two garden blogs were born: allyeargarden.com and theweeklygardener.com, a periodical that followed it one year later. I wanted to assemble an informal compendium of the things I learned from my grandfather, wonderful books, educational websites, and my own experience, in the hope that other people might use it in their own gardening practice.