If you have not read the 1923 book or seen the 1992 movie it’s a charming story set in Portofino on the Italian Riveria.
First sign of spring.Wild woodland daffodils“If thou of fortune be bereft, and in thy store there be but left two loaves, sell one, and with the dole, buy hyacinths to feed thy soul.” More soul food…..Grape hyacinthsThese two red tulips have been blooming in the same spot for thirty years. I’m glad I got the rose bushes pruned in early April as we had five days of summer-like weather. Okay, so it’s not the Mediterranean, but the water was blue and it was 82 F…. ….and there were people on the beach, in bathing suits in mid-April! The warm spell brought all the magnolia blossoms out, but was followed a few days later by wet flurries and since then two weeks of cool cloudy rainy weather. Chartreuse spring green against a blue sky.It was nice to sit outside and listen to the birdsong and read…and enjoy the longer hours of daylight. (Photo taken at dusk with the zoom lens I have not quite mastered yet!) I enjoyed this book, although not as much as her first book, WinteringLooking forward to May and more flowers!
For more on the book and movie Enchanted April see link to my 2018 blog here.
Glad you labeled the daffodils because they’re a great spring look but darned if I’d recognize them in a photo. Always love a beach scene too… even the warmer than expected version in April.
Oh, I’m sure daffodils are all over the place here in the South. I just need to memorize my blooms better. It’s a result of living in high-desert Colorado too long, where the only things that seem to grow are pines and Aspens 🙂
Beautiful! I’m waiting for our library to get Enchantment. Did you read “The Electricity of Every Living Thing”? She writes about a year long walk and her discovery and belief that she has ASD (autism spectrum disorder)
Enchanted April is HIGH on my list of periodic re-reads! I think it’s time to revisit it before our own April runs out of steam. Only 56 degrees now but expected to reach 77 later in the day. Well, I always said that April is capricious.
I need to re-watch it too. I wish they would remake it, as the film quality is not the best. They re-make Little Women and Pride and Prejudice every 5 years. It seems to be a forgotten classic.
I will need to reorder a DVD because I gave mine away! Still have the book, of course. I discovered the missing DVD as I was choosing a movie for my hubby and me, so we watched my house in Umbria (with Maggie Smith). Well, that’s set in Italy, too, sort of.
I’m not sure I’ve seen the film and certainly haven’t read the book. All those flowers are so amazing. My desert home is bereft this year. The bulbs did not bloom (maybe they still will?), not daffodils, snowdrops or grape hyacinths!
It’s a nice film, but hard to find – not on Netflix last I checked, as it’s British. The book is even harder to find due to it’s age. No bulbs – oh no – it must be very dry?
I have never read that book nor have I seen the movie but it looks good – we have a restaurant called Portofino, right on the River. I always like your recommendations Joni. At the house across the street from me, Mrs. Elmore loved her perennials. She planted them as a young bride when they first moved in the new house in 1947 – they were the first house on this block. She planted tulips and daffodils in the front and side. They’d bloom like clockwork every Spring. She passed away a few months after my mom (2010) and the house went up for sale – someone bought it, tore up both gardens but left the dirt – no flowers. Why??? So every year, one clump of daffodils comes up – the rototiller couldn’t get the corner they are near the porch. I like all the daffodils in your photos – they look so cheery. In Detroit, on Belle Isle and along the riverfront, there are 2.5 million daffodils blooming (or they were in mid-April). It is quite showy from the pictures and the City is planting another 500,000 bulbs this Fall. I would love to see that but with all the freeway shootings and crime in Detroit, I’ll just look at the pictures online for now.
I like seeing the Spring blooms – hopefully today’s winds and non-stop rain did not destroy the flowers. The Magnolia trees here bloomed early, then the wind stripped the blooms off – what was still in bud turned brown. The joys of erratic weather. Yesterday was gorgeous – I had a dentist/hygienist appointment and walked there and back, but wished I could be out longer. I don’t think this is your deck – is it at your mom’s house? It looks perfect for reading on a sunny day.
Oh I would like to go to a restaurant called Portofino! I watched the first season of the PBS series Portofiino and it was so-so but the scenery was gorgeous. You would like the movie Enchanted April – but I wish they would redo it as the film quality is so poor as it was filmed in 1992. I can’t remember if I read the book first or watched the movie, but the book was written over a hundred years ago, still a good story though, and lots of description about gardens and flowers. 2.5 million daffodils! that would be worth seeing! It is my front deck/stoop before I renovated. It’s an old picture from 2005? before I put the small vinyl deck on the front, and the big one on the back both in 2010. I just had a cement step up to a screen door. The doors are all replaced too, so it looks much different now. I used to have a beautiful shade tree at the front, and a planter box with geraniums and inpatients all in pink. It was a nice shady spot to sit out and read. Now I have full sun, as all the trees had Dutch elm disease. Another day of rain and 4 more after this……sigh….maybe May will be better. Thanks for the Tom Jones info – I will give it a try. I know it was a book but i never read it….it all depends on the casting.
The restaurant Portofino is right on the water in Wyandotte and you may recall seeing a large white boat/yacht docked on the shore … that is the restaurant’s boat “The Portofino” so you can dine in restaurant or take a dinner cruise. I’ve never been there. If you Google “portofinoontheriver dot com” you will see the boat and their list of special events and the menu. I remember you watching that PBS show. I don’t think I read the book “Tom Jones”.
The movie “Enchanted April” is available to rent on Amazon Prime Video. It is $3.99 – I have a voucher for my last order which, if you allow delivery on what is called “your delivery day” you get a $3.00 voucher. So now I have a movie name to watch.
I did remember your white deck – that is why I asked. I remember it from a post where we could see your pink Knockout Roses. We had two Oak trees in the backyard – lots of shade, but they got Carpenter Ants. The Birch tree in the front yard got a birch disease and was cut down – after a few years my father planted a Locust tree, but we cut it down when we got the Carpenter Ants. Bugs and diseases – they are a pain. I’ll likely have to have the two trees cut down that DTE hacked up after the fire. I kept waiting to see if my lilac tree and all the bushes in the garden that were on fire would come back or not. Some green leaves on the bottom of one bush – that is it.
I checked the website – the restaurant looks nice, if a bit expensive, and it would be lovely to eat by the water. Tom Jones was nicely filmed but the casting was off in the lead roles and the storyline kind of boring – although it got good reviews. I was not familiar with the book either – 1749, just the title as a classic British novel.
I thought it was expensive too Joni and the venue is nice on the water. It is right at BASF Park where I’ve done a few posts there. The Wyandotte Yacht Club is next door and they have regattas that begin there as well. I think the yacht evening might be nice. We had a big cruise ship in Detroit today – they had been in Canada Sunday and were on a 7-day cruise of the Great Lakes. I guess Tom Jones was must-see reading in the UK, not for North America … that’s an old novel.
An art friend of mine went on one of those Great Lakes cruise ships last summer – it was $1000/day or some crazy price, she said the food wasn’t even that good, and half the ship came down with Covid! No thanks – I don’t mind a day cruise for a few hours, but don’t like being on a boat overnight or for any length of time.
I had no idea what it would cost – that is outrageous. You could take a freighter trip and be a paying passenger for less (I would think). One of our clients had a shipping company – they had a room you could pay for to be on a freighter. I saw the room – it was nice and a private bathroom and you ate in the galley at the officers’ table. My boss and I went once to drop something off and had lunch and a tour of the freighter. He and his friend used to go for a Great Lakes cruise every Summer (for free, courtesy of the client). No, that would not be for me, even the day cruise I would be leery of due to Covid.
I’m not familiar with The Enchanted April book or movie. Dare I say I’m enchanted by it! Your photo of chartreuse spring green against a blue sky is why I like what spring has to offer. I may sneeze my way through the season, but it is darned pretty.
Thanks Ally! April is one of my favorite months I just wish this one was sunnier. The movie is delightful but the film quality is poor as it is from 1992 – I wish they would remake it with more scenery.
There are lots of them here – but maybe they are a hardier northern strain than what you see in the south? I don’t have one but plenty of my neighbours do. We have had two more weeks of cold cloudy weather and I’m more than ready for spring.
Lovely photos, Joni. I adore daffodils, and we finally have a nice crowd. These bulbs were planted by a landscaper because our back-aching efforts in the hard soil yielded nothing. We suspect the squirrels dug them up.
thehomeplaceweb 
Wow! What an abundance of spring beauty!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Anne….the warm weather really brought everything out early. Tulips just starting now.
LikeLiked by 1 person
💗💗💗
LikeLiked by 1 person
Glad you labeled the daffodils because they’re a great spring look but darned if I’d recognize them in a photo. Always love a beach scene too… even the warmer than expected version in April.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Don’t you have daffodils where you live Dave? I love the beach too!
LikeLike
Oh, I’m sure daffodils are all over the place here in the South. I just need to memorize my blooms better. It’s a result of living in high-desert Colorado too long, where the only things that seem to grow are pines and Aspens 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh I see…..I’ve never thought of Colorado that way….just snow!
LikeLike
Beautiful! I’m waiting for our library to get Enchantment. Did you read “The Electricity of Every Living Thing”? She writes about a year long walk and her discovery and belief that she has ASD (autism spectrum disorder)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Deb! No I haven’t but I’ll put it on my to read list. She’s a lovely writer.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Enchanted April is HIGH on my list of periodic re-reads! I think it’s time to revisit it before our own April runs out of steam. Only 56 degrees now but expected to reach 77 later in the day. Well, I always said that April is capricious.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I need to re-watch it too. I wish they would remake it, as the film quality is not the best. They re-make Little Women and Pride and Prejudice every 5 years. It seems to be a forgotten classic.
LikeLike
I will need to reorder a DVD because I gave mine away! Still have the book, of course. I discovered the missing DVD as I was choosing a movie for my hubby and me, so we watched my house in Umbria (with Maggie Smith). Well, that’s set in Italy, too, sort of.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I liked that one too!
LikeLike
I’m not sure I’ve seen the film and certainly haven’t read the book. All those flowers are so amazing. My desert home is bereft this year. The bulbs did not bloom (maybe they still will?), not daffodils, snowdrops or grape hyacinths!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s a nice film, but hard to find – not on Netflix last I checked, as it’s British. The book is even harder to find due to it’s age. No bulbs – oh no – it must be very dry?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Not dry, no. We had a lot of snow this winter. Not sure the problem. Too cold, mayhaps?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Maybe just delayed then. I’ve never heard of bulbs not coming up….maybe they need a rest and will skip this year!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love Spring, all the flowers in bloom! Beautiful.
LikeLiked by 1 person
My favorite time of year too! Today was perfect – 60 F sunny refreshing breeze….wish it would stay that way.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree with you. I LOVE the fresh air and 60 F, soon it will be hot. For me, even in the 70s is TOO HOT! LOL
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have never read that book nor have I seen the movie but it looks good – we have a restaurant called Portofino, right on the River. I always like your recommendations Joni. At the house across the street from me, Mrs. Elmore loved her perennials. She planted them as a young bride when they first moved in the new house in 1947 – they were the first house on this block. She planted tulips and daffodils in the front and side. They’d bloom like clockwork every Spring. She passed away a few months after my mom (2010) and the house went up for sale – someone bought it, tore up both gardens but left the dirt – no flowers. Why??? So every year, one clump of daffodils comes up – the rototiller couldn’t get the corner they are near the porch. I like all the daffodils in your photos – they look so cheery. In Detroit, on Belle Isle and along the riverfront, there are 2.5 million daffodils blooming (or they were in mid-April). It is quite showy from the pictures and the City is planting another 500,000 bulbs this Fall. I would love to see that but with all the freeway shootings and crime in Detroit, I’ll just look at the pictures online for now.
I like seeing the Spring blooms – hopefully today’s winds and non-stop rain did not destroy the flowers. The Magnolia trees here bloomed early, then the wind stripped the blooms off – what was still in bud turned brown. The joys of erratic weather. Yesterday was gorgeous – I had a dentist/hygienist appointment and walked there and back, but wished I could be out longer. I don’t think this is your deck – is it at your mom’s house? It looks perfect for reading on a sunny day.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Oh I would like to go to a restaurant called Portofino! I watched the first season of the PBS series Portofiino and it was so-so but the scenery was gorgeous. You would like the movie Enchanted April – but I wish they would redo it as the film quality is so poor as it was filmed in 1992. I can’t remember if I read the book first or watched the movie, but the book was written over a hundred years ago, still a good story though, and lots of description about gardens and flowers. 2.5 million daffodils! that would be worth seeing! It is my front deck/stoop before I renovated. It’s an old picture from 2005? before I put the small vinyl deck on the front, and the big one on the back both in 2010. I just had a cement step up to a screen door. The doors are all replaced too, so it looks much different now. I used to have a beautiful shade tree at the front, and a planter box with geraniums and inpatients all in pink. It was a nice shady spot to sit out and read. Now I have full sun, as all the trees had Dutch elm disease. Another day of rain and 4 more after this……sigh….maybe May will be better. Thanks for the Tom Jones info – I will give it a try. I know it was a book but i never read it….it all depends on the casting.
LikeLike
The restaurant Portofino is right on the water in Wyandotte and you may recall seeing a large white boat/yacht docked on the shore … that is the restaurant’s boat “The Portofino” so you can dine in restaurant or take a dinner cruise. I’ve never been there. If you Google “portofinoontheriver dot com” you will see the boat and their list of special events and the menu. I remember you watching that PBS show. I don’t think I read the book “Tom Jones”.
The movie “Enchanted April” is available to rent on Amazon Prime Video. It is $3.99 – I have a voucher for my last order which, if you allow delivery on what is called “your delivery day” you get a $3.00 voucher. So now I have a movie name to watch.
I did remember your white deck – that is why I asked. I remember it from a post where we could see your pink Knockout Roses. We had two Oak trees in the backyard – lots of shade, but they got Carpenter Ants. The Birch tree in the front yard got a birch disease and was cut down – after a few years my father planted a Locust tree, but we cut it down when we got the Carpenter Ants. Bugs and diseases – they are a pain. I’ll likely have to have the two trees cut down that DTE hacked up after the fire. I kept waiting to see if my lilac tree and all the bushes in the garden that were on fire would come back or not. Some green leaves on the bottom of one bush – that is it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I checked the website – the restaurant looks nice, if a bit expensive, and it would be lovely to eat by the water. Tom Jones was nicely filmed but the casting was off in the lead roles and the storyline kind of boring – although it got good reviews. I was not familiar with the book either – 1749, just the title as a classic British novel.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I thought it was expensive too Joni and the venue is nice on the water. It is right at BASF Park where I’ve done a few posts there. The Wyandotte Yacht Club is next door and they have regattas that begin there as well. I think the yacht evening might be nice. We had a big cruise ship in Detroit today – they had been in Canada Sunday and were on a 7-day cruise of the Great Lakes. I guess Tom Jones was must-see reading in the UK, not for North America … that’s an old novel.
LikeLiked by 1 person
An art friend of mine went on one of those Great Lakes cruise ships last summer – it was $1000/day or some crazy price, she said the food wasn’t even that good, and half the ship came down with Covid! No thanks – I don’t mind a day cruise for a few hours, but don’t like being on a boat overnight or for any length of time.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I had no idea what it would cost – that is outrageous. You could take a freighter trip and be a paying passenger for less (I would think). One of our clients had a shipping company – they had a room you could pay for to be on a freighter. I saw the room – it was nice and a private bathroom and you ate in the galley at the officers’ table. My boss and I went once to drop something off and had lunch and a tour of the freighter. He and his friend used to go for a Great Lakes cruise every Summer (for free, courtesy of the client). No, that would not be for me, even the day cruise I would be leery of due to Covid.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m not familiar with The Enchanted April book or movie. Dare I say I’m enchanted by it! Your photo of chartreuse spring green against a blue sky is why I like what spring has to offer. I may sneeze my way through the season, but it is darned pretty.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Ally! April is one of my favorite months I just wish this one was sunnier. The movie is delightful but the film quality is poor as it is from 1992 – I wish they would remake it with more scenery.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am amazed you get magnolias to bloom up your way. Around here in Central Indiana we only get good magnolia blooms maybe one year out of every five.
LikeLiked by 1 person
There are lots of them here – but maybe they are a hardier northern strain than what you see in the south? I don’t have one but plenty of my neighbours do. We have had two more weeks of cold cloudy weather and I’m more than ready for spring.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lovely photos, Joni. I adore daffodils, and we finally have a nice crowd. These bulbs were planted by a landscaper because our back-aching efforts in the hard soil yielded nothing. We suspect the squirrels dug them up.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Annie! Daffodils have come and gone now, their stay is too short! Tulips blooming now.
LikeLiked by 1 person