The Joy Of Early Spring

The beginning of spring is an idyllic time in my part of the world. We get some days that are warm but certainly not too warm and there may be a gentle breeze. There are still some rainy days and the nights are cool or cold. The garden is green and various types of flowers are coming into bloom. There are young birds hatching. Best of all, most people are smiling and in a good mood.


Yesterday was the first day of spring. I enjoyed a walk to and from the main street and stopped on the footbridge to watch ducklings with their parents. I walked past gardens with fruit and ornamental trees bursting into blossom.

I breathed in the fragrance of freesias coming into bloom and enjoyed looking at the flowers in the gardens I walked past. When I got home I picked a bunch of flowers, including one stem of freesias, from my garden and popped them into a blue pottery jug I like to use for flowers. I don't put milk into a jug these days so I may as well repurpose the jug instead of leaving it at the back of a cupboard.

When I was on my walk people smiled, saying, 'Hello. Isn't it a beautiful day?' as they passed. Some people who are mostly happy tend to get depressed when the sky is grey and there are limited hours of daylight. This has been named Seasonal Effective Disorder. When the sun is shining again and they know there will be fewer days of grey skies they feel happier.


Some people are not able to enjoy spring fully because they get hayfever which makes them feel miserable. Another not so good aspect of early spring is the appearance of flies and blowflies which love to slip into the house and buzz around, spreading germs.

During late spring the grass turns brown and we can get some hot days with unpleasant northerly winds. Last year there were tragic bushfires in the Pinery area not far from where I live. These bushfires destroyed homes, farms, livelihoods and human lives. One usually associates bushfires with summer but they can occur at other times.

However, at the moment the grass is green and there is still water in the local rivers. We are getting rain quite frequently which is keeping the ground damp much of the time. For me it is a lovely time of the year and there is much to feel gratitude for.


#_flowers
#_gratitude
#_happiness
#_spring
#_sunshine

%selfavenue