A Spring in my step

As new buds push their pointed heads out through withered branches, and flecks of blossom begin to adorn once-skeletal trees, I'm reminded how utterly magical Spring is. Not just a temperate pre-cursor to the summer, but a powerful reminder that however bleak and barren the landscape looks, new life will force its way to the surface.

Hyacinth bulbs I failed to plant in December, left discarded in their packet in a forgotten corner of the kitchen, burst through the plastic packaging with determined enthusiasm. No matter that they've not seen soil or water for months, the green shoots have bravely found a way to grow anyway - and finally guilt-tripped me into planting them up and placing them on a sunny window-sill. They may yet have their moment of glory.

Just when you think the world can't get any colder, and hibernation seems a really attractive retort to the cold, dark months of winter, the colourful heads of crocus, snowdrops and early daffodils begin to carpet the grass in brazen swirls of pattern that beg one to linger outside, "Look at us! Admire us! We are here for your sole appreciation, your soul appreciation."

In our garden, the faded twigs of a once-glorious hydrangea, reduced to a gnarled, arthritic claw during the winter, are now festooned in lurid green shoots - with no green-fingered assistance from me. It's just obeying the silent rhythm of life that we all unwittingly dance to. A drum beat buried deep beneath the earth, urging the Earth to follow its pace. Echoed in our heartbeat, this invisible code holds the key to our growth and dictates so many of our life choices. As the world springs to life again, the abundance of its energy is infectious. So go forth, and create, plan, grow, adventure, learn, change, do, blossom.

Last updated 19:50 on 12 June 2019