Day one. A bank holiday. April, I like you already! Beloved, British bluebells bloom at last. Sowing season. Spring rays. Sunshine and showers. Cherry blossom. Mown grass. Blue skies above. Hot cross buns (not for me thank you!) served far and wide. Birthday month. My birthstone? Diamond! What else!? Outside, sights, sounds and smells of new life. Hours spent potting. Bulbs aplenty. Just give it time. Sunglasses on. Floral dresses shimmy down streets. Picnic dates. Alfresco lunches. The first of many to come. Migratory birds return from their travels down South. Windows open. Delight in the chorus above. Nature’s comeback. Timed to perfection. A sign that we too can bloom. With courage, look up. Step forward and flower.

We too can bloom. With courage, bloom. 

At dawn. At dusk. Light returns, at last. Dandelions. Daisies. Daffodils dance.  Dappled streets lined with blossom, please passers by. Leaves – revived – fill with colour once more. Cloudy skies. Silver linings. Sun – gaining strength – seeps through. Afternoons in the greenhouse. A light jacket will do. Ewes stand on guard protecting their young. Lambs – hours old – leap in the sun.  Good Friday. Easter Sunday. Bank holiday season is here! Pub lunches aplenty with friends you hold dear. Breathe in. Harness the hope in the air. Cleanse. Declutter. Keep surfaces bare. Days stretch. Clocks lean forward. Welcome back Spring! Open windows and doors. Let optimism breeze in.  

29 days. Make them count. Don’t just leap this year, soar. Primroses bloom. Snowdrops sprout. Thrushes sing from above. Wildlife stirs. Welly walks. Windy, wonderfully wild. Up ahead, alert roe deer tiptoe through fields. Grazing ewes feast on grass, content, bellies full. Air fresh. Anticipation. Snow or sunshine awaits. Indoors, slippers on, potter at your own pace. Pancakes. For breakfast? Whisk, flip, stack ‘em up high! In the greenhouse, sow dreams for the seasons ahead. Valentine’s. Galentine’s. Love yourself first. Noticeably lighter. A smidge brighter. The dawn of Spring nears. Pause. Pace yourself. Embrace the beauty of now. 

The first dawn. A clean slate. Take a breath. Begin.  Wrap up. Venture out. Don’t forget to look up. Brisk walks. Inhale. Blow the cobwebs away. Bare branches quiver in the glacial breeze. Indoors, potted ferns breathe life into bare homes. Slow mornings. Snug evenings. No need to rush. Wooly hats. Leather gloves rescue frostbitten hands. Zero qualms about nights in with no plans.  At windows we watch as snow settles below. At windows we watch as snow settles below. Puddles mirror the moon. Evergreen trees. Candles glow. Patient bulbs hunker down, biding their time. Hedgehogs hibernate. Paw print tracks. Fallen twigs. Glassy skies. Midwinter’s magic, mistaken for the mundane. Misunderstood and overlooked, yet again. Pause. Commit to goals from a place of rest. Resist any urge to race ahead. With last year’s lessons in mind, look ahead with hope. Dream Big. Even bigger. Bigger than that! Let’s go.