Tags
blackthorn, blossom, Brown Hare, Bugle, cherry-plum tree, daffodils, daisy, Dog's Mercury, early dog-violet, flowers, garden, grape hyacinth, lesser celandine, leveret, March, Narcissus Rip van Winkle, Periwinkle, plants, pond, primroses, silver-laced primula, Spindle, St Mary's church Homersfield, Suffolk, Suffolk Lane, trees
Not having posted anything for over two months I have a number of photographs of things I’ve seen on my travels or in the garden. This post will be a selection of these photos.
This photo was taken with my phone early one March morning. You can see the maple leaf sticker on the glass which works well at preventing birds from crashing into the window and injuring themselves. Just outside the window is my witch-hazel which is planted in a large pot and also a Japanese flowering-cherry tree tied to canes, in a different pot. We keep both trees up close to the front of the house to protect them from wind damage. On the other side of our drive you can see the first of the daffodils in flower along the edge of the ditch. What really excited me was the sight of a leveret, a young hare ( lepus europaeus), crouched in the grass. Richard had had a sight of this young animal in the garden a couple of days before this and I was so pleased to see it for myself.
I took this picture with my smaller camera from the utility room window and you can see how damp with dew everything was, including the leveret. It stayed with us for a few days, hardly ever moving from its ‘form’, the nest in the grass it had made for itself.
When this tree first grew I assumed it was an early-flowering blackthorn tree as they can look very similar. However, a few years ago I happened to see some of its fruit before the birds ate it all and realised my mistake.
A year and a half ago I was trying to get rid of Common Nettle and Black Bryony in a flowerbed full of primulas and hellebores. The only way to deal with them was to remove the plants I wanted before tackling the ones I didn’t. I planted some of the primulas at the edge of a bed Richard grows dahlias in. This March I was pleased to see that my treasured silver-laced primula had survived the move and two winters. I still haven’t finished working on that weedy bed! The Primula has a pretty silver edge to its petals.
We have these early violets growing in the grass round our pond.
Our large pond in March. The water-level is very low due to insufficient rainfall for a year.
A week or two on from when the photo of the leveret was taken and the daffodils are all coming out.
This is a very narrow bed alongside the rear of the garage next to the back door. All the flowers are blue and two of the plants have variegated yellow and green leaves. However, just to prove that nothing goes exactly to plan, the bed also contains a red-berried Firethorn ( Pyracantha) which has creamy white flowers; this plant was here when we moved here and the birds and bees love it.
We attended church here in March and I thought it looked lovely in the sunshine.
That same day I walked round the garden and then out onto the verge next to the lane beyond our hedge and found these primroses in flower. Garden primulas are able to flower at any time of the year as long as it isn’t too hot or too cold. Wild primroses, however, have their season and late March is the best time to see them round here.
There is a tangle of Blackthorn on the verge and it was just coming into flower. You can see our garden over the other side of the hedge.
It is a very untidy tree with suckers but it has blossom like snow and the fruit (sloes) in the autumn are used for flavouring gin, among other things.
We have this rather insignificant plant growing under all our hedges and in amongst the trees near the large pond. It is often a sign of old woodland and won’t tolerate being disturbed; it fades away. The male and female flowers are on separate plants.
Here is this sunshiny little flower peeping out from inbetween Common Nettles and Ground Elder in the ditch.
These were the highlights of March this year. I hope to begin an April post as soon as I have published this one. Whether I’ll be able to finish it and publish it in the next day or so only time will tell!
susanpoozan said:
It was a great pleasure to scroll through your excellent reminders of the beauty of March, thank you for sharing your photographs with us.
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Clare Pooley said:
It was my pleasure, Susan and thank you.
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Paula Bardell-Hedley said:
Wonderful photographs, Clare – and how wonderful to have a hare on your land (I haven’t seen one for years). 😊
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you, Paula. We are very fortunate to have them living all around us despite visiting hare-coursers and the new danger of myxomatosis that has crossed over from rabbits to hares.
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Paula Bardell-Hedley said:
Such a horrible disease. I hadn’t realised it was a problem for hares now. Very sad.
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Clare Pooley said:
Yes, it is heartbreaking really. Rabbits are now quite scarce here which would have been unbelievable a few years ago.
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tootlepedal said:
A big bag of treats here. I particularly like the leveret in the dewy grass.
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you very much, Tom. We felt so honoured having a leveret stay with us. It tolerated us walking within a couple of feet of it and then starting up our cars and driving off each morning!
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Luanne said:
Clare, what lovely fragile looking flowers! And the beautiful church. Spring in your neighborhood is so magical.
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you very much, Luanne. The flowers do look fragile but really they are quite tough and can deal with freezing weather as well as warm sunshine.
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New Hampshire Garden Solutions said:
It looks like spring has been kind to you though I’m surprised that the pond is so low. I hope nature will fix that! The flowers were beautiful.
I also hope that little hare isn’t hungry for garden plants.
I see that the witch hazel has grown. The last time I think I saw it was in a pot on the front porch. I hope it has some fragrance.
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Clare Pooley said:
We hope we get lots of rain soon, too. A very dry summer last year and an autumn and winter with little rain and no settling snow either and we in Eastern England are in a little trouble. There is enough water in the reservoirs to keep us going this year as long as we are careful but if we get no substantial rain before next year we will be in drought conditions.
The little hare probably is partial to garden plants but it is one of many animals that visit us to eat our plants! Yes, the witch hazel has grown but not too much as it is in the same pot. It wouldn’t do very well in our soil so I keep it safe in a pot. It doesn’t have a strong fragrance but I love it all the same!
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New Hampshire Garden Solutions said:
I hope you don’t go into a drought. We’ve had two months of rain here and I always assumed that the storms just kept going east and eventually reached you but I guess not.
If you ever get another witch hazel look for one with a fragrance. It really is something! You can smell them from quite far away.
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Jill Weatherholt said:
Thank you for sharing your gorgeous photos with us, Clare. The hare is adorable! I hope you and the family are doing well. xo
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you very much, Jill. I love the hare’s little face! We are all okay except for summer head colds! Richard is recovering from his, I am in the middle of mine and Elinor is just starting hers and keeps glowering at me! 😀 I hope you and Derek are fine xo
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Jill Weatherholt said:
Ugh…summer colds are the worst. I hope everyone feels better soon! We’re all well here…thanks! xo
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you! ❤
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H.J. for avian101 said:
Do you have any fish in your pond? I see that you have a lot of field to take care. Thanks for the tour, Clare. 🙂
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you very much, HJ! Yes we do have fish in the pond but not as many as we used to do because the water is so low and we get visits from herons, otters and diving ducks! Yes, we do have a lot of grass which keeps Richard busy with the mowing! 🙂
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margaret21 said:
How exciting to have that leveret so close and for so long! I see you too have had a good year for violets. I’ve never known them so prolific or last so long. Lovely post. A real reminder of early spring.
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you, Margaret. March was so cool that the flowers lasted much longer than usual.
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DoF@theinfill said:
Wonderful post – I could smell the air of spring, feel the dew and recall the slanting sunlight – great atmosphere 🙂
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you so much! Looking at the photos again I was also pleased to see the slanting sun! So soon forgotten once we get past the equinox!
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DoF@theinfill said:
🙂 You’re v welcome, lovely photos. We’re so near mid summer already – it’s already light at 03:00 up here
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Clare Pooley said:
I was awake at 3.30 this morning and it was getting light here too.
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Liz said:
What a delightful post to meander through this morning over my cup of tea! The leveret picture is wonderful with all those dewdrops. I think my favourite (though hard to choose!) is Rip van Winkle – such a lovely narcissus variety!
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you, Liz! Dear little Rip van Winkle! I have to gently shake his head to remove dew and raindrops otherwise he can’t stand up!
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Liz said:
What a wonderful image!
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Clare Pooley said:
🙂
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derrickjknight said:
It is amazing how March and its blackthorn are now history. How exciting to have a leveret visit for a few days. A lovely wander with you.
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you so much, Derrick. We wondered why the leveret was with us at all. Had it’s parent left it there or had it been injured or frightened? We’ll never know. Yes the blackthorn has all disappeared to be overtaken by the hawthorn.
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KerryCan said:
This makes me wish I’d taken more photos of spring flowers around here–they’re each lovely and welcome in their own way. I’m surprised to hear that your water is low–we have had SO much rain and snow melt and have worried about the lake flooding.
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Clare Pooley said:
Our March was very cool for the most part and the flowers just stayed and stayed! No rain, though and still not enough to replenish the reservoirs, ponds and lakes. We had no snow, except for a few flakes now and then all through the winter after a very dry summer and autumn last year. This doesn’t bode well. I am glad that you haven’t been flooded – yet. Is there still danger of it?
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Richard Sutton said:
Sorry to hear that like us here in Sussex you are in such need of more rain. We look forward to seeing your April photos. Thank you for these.
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Clare Pooley said:
My pleasure, Richard. Yes, like you we are a little worried about the lack of substantial rain and the ponds and rivers are fast disappearing!
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Laurie Graves said:
Let’s just say that your March is ever so much more beautiful than ours. We don’t get that kind of green, budding beauty until May. Loved going around with you.
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you, Laurie and it is my pleasure. We are fortunate to live in a temperate zone and surrounded by the sea. There are downsides, though like cloud for weeks and weeks and occasional summers that never warm up!
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Laurie Graves said:
No place is perfect, I guess.
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Clare Pooley said:
True. 🙂
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paulharley said:
Thank you for those reminders of March….just about everything has burst through now. Good photos.
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you very much, Paul. Yes, even the sweet chestnuts have leaves now.
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Val said:
Lovely, Clare. So good to see things coming into bloom at last… I’m glad to see the back of winter (though I wish it would stay gone… getting drizzly again here at the moment). Is Blackthorn the one like Hawthorn but with worse prickles? We see some here from a distance but don’t have any Blackthorn in our garden – we do have a pink-flowering Hawthorn though.
Do you know we don’t have any daisies in our lawn? I was astonished when hubby told me that they won’t grow here! One day I’m going to have to source some seeds and sow some… !
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you, Val. We had a lot of rain today which nearly filled the water butts! Yes, Blackthorn is the thornier one! Lucky you, having a pink hawthorn! My aunt has never been able to grow daisies on her lawn and she would love them!
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Val said:
Oh and – wow! – love the hare. I’ve never seen one except in photos.
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Clare Pooley said:
We are so lucky to have them living near us!
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Jolandi Steven said:
Spring is such a joyful season!
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Clare Pooley said:
It is! Thank you, Jolandi. I hope you are feeling much better.
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Jolandi Steven said:
I am indeed, thank you Clare. We are leaving for Portugal in less than two days, and I just know that I will feel more energized there. 🙂
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Clare Pooley said:
Oh, wonderful! 🙂
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Jane Sturgeon said:
Lovely post, Clare..just gorgeous pictures. Thank you for the idea about the maple leaf, that really helps. My heart tears when the birds fly into my front room window. Huge hugs for you all and much ❤ ❤ ❤
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you my dear, Jane. If you haven’t found them yet, I recently bought more stickers for our garden room and here is (I hope) the link. https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001BO6EMC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Hugs and love for you too ❤ ❤ ❤
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Jane Sturgeon said:
❤️❤️❤️ Thank you, lovely. Xxx ❤️
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Clare Pooley said:
xxXXxx ❤ ❤ ❤
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germac4 said:
I enjoyed seeing your March garden with so many blossoms, and the Primulas looked very happy to be free! I love to see rows of daffodils, or daffodils scattered across a field, so very different to our landscape. St Mary’s church looks wonderful in the sunshine.
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you, Gerrie. Planting daffodils along the verges or alongside the ditches is done quite a lot in country villages and towns. Having lived in the London suburbs for the first 25 years of my life it came as quite a pleasant surprise.
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Lisa G. said:
I didn’t think daisies were such an early flower! But all flowers are welcome, especially the yellow ones when it’s just starting to get nice, but it’s still cool – your daffodil photos are wonderful, those long rows of yellow! I didn’t realize that some primroses will bloom all summer – your silver-lace is a gorgeous color.
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you, Lisa. Daisies will flower almost as soon as the temperature gets above freezing; I see them in January if it’s mild enough! Primulas will come back again and again during the summer as long as it is damp enough and not too hot – and we often have damp, cool summers!
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Sheila said:
Beautiful photos – that’s a great one of the leveret with the dew surrounding him – he looks very comfortable there while admiring the flowers. I love the church and the daffodils too. Happy Spring!
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you, Sheila. I think the leveret was comfortable there; he let us walk so close to him and didn’t move at all!
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quietsolopursuits said:
Loved the look back at spring in your area with so many beautiful flowers to admire! It was also nice to see the hare, yours are very similar to the cottontails that we have here, and they’re fun to watch. Mostly though, it was nice to see a rerun of spring, my favorite time of the year.
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you, Jerry. I also love watching the hares; their behaviour is quite different to rabbits.
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whitefeatherfloating said:
Wow, Clare! You sure live in a lovely environment! Beautiful photos, my friend!! 😁❤
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you so much, Patsy! How sweet you are xo
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whitefeatherfloating said:
You’re welcome, Clare! You are, too!! 😁
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Clare Pooley said:
🙂
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Lavinia Ross said:
I am just catching up with you, Clare. I am glad to see you! Lovely spring photos of your area, especially the leveret.
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you, Lavinia and I am glad to see you, too! Like you, I have times when I just can’t make time to post anything on WP and then there are other times when I try to catch up a little. The leveret was so small and rather cute! We have been seeing a young hare coming into the garden recently and we wonder if it is the same animal but grown a little.
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Annika Perry said:
Clare, you capture the gentle wakening of Spring with tenderness and insight! I can’t believe how quickly the season is swishing past and so much has already finishing blooming for now. The lilac tree will flower lager. This year seems to one for roses ..l they are stunning and glorious!
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you, Annika. I too, can’t believe we are into June already! I have seen some wonderful roses around too, though we don’t have many in our garden sadly.
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Cynthia Reyes said:
What a lovely round-up and progression of Spring scenes, Clare. Every picture is interesting. I like your picture of the leveret, and (being Canadian) I would also like maple leaf stickers for my big windows. Looks far more natural than what we have (black silhouettes of birds). Happy Spring! Ours has been rainy and grey, but I’m not complaining, as everything looks green and lush and the flowers last longer.
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you, Cynthia. The maple leaf stickers come from the USA. Here is the link https://windowalert.com/maple-leaf-decal-envelope-4-decal-pack/
They are much better than the black silhouettes that we used to have. A Happy Spring to you too! We have some rain at last but we will need a thoroughly wet summer to replenish all the rivers and ponds that are very low.
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Cynthia Reyes said:
Thanks so much, Clare.
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Clare Pooley said:
My pleasure, Cynthia.
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(Kitty) Cat Strawberry - Meow! said:
You always share such beautiful photographs Clare ❤ Such a beautiful start to spring! I love that cute leveret, and such a wonderful opportunity for a close picture of it 🙂 🙂
There hasn't been much wildlife I've managed to see in my area besides lots of different birds including doves taking advantage bird feeders and even washing lines which they seem to love balancing on, lol 😀 Outside my house there's a common area of grass with so many daisies that look lovely and we also bought a couple of small strawberry plants but unfortunately one of them was heavily infected with some kind of insects and have produeced no fruits so far which is ashame – I really need to learn more about gardening, lol!
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you so much, Cat! 🙂 I have noticed that daisies have done very well this year – I love them! I’m sorry about your strawberry plant! Gardening is like that – you never know how successful (or not!) you are going to be. If your other strawberry plant is still healthy it will no doubt start to produce runners. These are long shoots that, if you peg them down into soil they will set root and form another plant. It’s often best to try to peg them into a plant pot to start off though if you have planted your original plant out in your garden that is fine too. Just remember not to cut the runner separating the two plants until you are sure the new plant is well established. A plant can produce more than one runner and each runner can be pegged down in more than one place so in no time you have lots of new strawberry plants. Slugs and snails like strawberries so you’ll need to watch out for them. 🙂
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(Kitty) Cat Strawberry - Meow! said:
Thank you so much for the advice, I’ll certainly try that and good to know the plants like to reproduce a lot, I love strawberries, hence the name of my blog☺️☺️☺️😊
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Clare Pooley said:
Haha! Yes, I thought as much! 🙂
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wholelottarosie said:
Lovely from start to finish.
Your photos are always so lovely – impressive and beautifully done.
Well done, Clare!
Greetings from the beautiful Rhine-Highlands / Germany
Rosie
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you so very much, Rosie!
Best wishes, Clare
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Laleh Chini said:
I’m sure it looks more beautiful now in May.
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Clare Pooley said:
Thank you, Laleh.
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Laleh Chini said:
My pleasure.🌺
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Clare Pooley said:
❤
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