In days of Yore…
Clear Warm sunny days
The elongated spell of bright sunny endless days and frosty cold nights makes me think about gardening when I was small. My Grandad used to say ‘never sow the seed ’till the frost is passed’ and ‘ ne’er cast a clout ’till May is out’, which my Mum used to take as meaning ‘don’t take your vest off until the first of June!’ but which I really think meant don’t dig your fragile plants in until the signs of blossom on the May Trees (Hawthorn or Blackthorn?) is out (which makes more sense).
Whichever it is, I am sure that this year, we have a spring like it was 30 years ago, and that the season has gone back to as it was. The effects of climate change have been very evident in the last few years, long wet warm summers and early springs and I have a feeling that this spring feels like spring when I was a child, that daily searching with your eyes for the first sign of leaves unfurling on the trees, that first primrose in the hedgerow, the first sign of blossom on the trees. This year, after one of the hardest winters on record, these things seem even more special and to me, such a delight.