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51.

1st till 8th March 1954.

Mainly cold & showery, with snow on hills & strong wind at times, but 8th March a very fine day & much hot sun:  wind gentle in forenoon & SW., but E. in afternoon & cooler.  In forenoon took bus to Rathfarnham & left "bird notes MS" at lodge of Rathfarnham Castle for Very Rev. P.G. Kennedy, S.J. & walked home via the Dodder Park & Orwell Road.  Several Forsythias with flowers open & first ♂︎ catkins on Willows by the Dodder just above the weir out.  On coming up the hill from Orwell Bridge found a ♀︎ Vespa vulagris walking on the footpath, but failed to induce her to get onmy finger & be put out of harm's way, so she was probably soon tramped on.

Chaffinches now singing fully song.  In garden the small flowered Sax. oppositifolia fully out front & back, but the large flowered form still only in bud.  Blue Hyacinth in flower under dining room window.


12th March.

The large flowered, Snowdon, Sax. opp. in flower in front garden (both patches!), but not yet out in back garden.  Fed snails for first time this year!  Very hot sun & mild all day - a perfect summers day - E. breeze, cool.
2♀︎♀︎ Vespa vulgaris in motor house.


13th & 14th March.

After slight white frost at night & sunny morning, quite dull & very cold, with strong E. wind, on 13th.
Same on morning of 14th, with drizzle setting in about 4 P.M. & almost no light


52.

16th March 1954.

First red mossy Saxifrage out in front garden but only one spike - no sign of even buds on any others.  The main crop of flowers on Sax. apiculata now just out.  Cold & dry with E.-SE. wind!  Viola reichenbachiana in bud at Prospect, Firhouse, where Potentilla fragariastrum seen in full flower a week earlier.  Many Elms now in flower!


19th March 1954.
A very wet & dark day with E-SE. wind.


20th March.

A nice sunny day.  In afternoon driven by George (home for weekend!) to Golden Hill & walked up road over summit & back to car.  In spite of previous day's rain quite a lot of snow on the Mullaghcleevaun range over about 2,300 feet - in drifts in gullies, &c.


24th March.

After heavy rain again on 22nd & showers on 23rd this was a nice day.  In afternoon walked from bus at Templeogue to pick up eggs & on to Firhouse & back to Charleville Ho., & then bus home.  At Firhouse, where the road is being widened & many trees cut down, made a detour to see Viola reichenbachiana in flower near Prospect.  Blackthorn also just in flower N. of Firhouse.


25th.

The old Talbot ready for the road again for its 28th season with a new battery, which started the car after six months out of commission at first attempt.  Our Forsythia & Flowering Currant, the large flowered Sax. oppositifolia in back garden from Snowdon & Ben Lawers Muckanaght, as well as the pink form from Glenade all now in flower.  Betula nana coming into leaf.