A fresh start

/ Sue Vincent

lambs

I remember when I was a very little girl there was a fairy story my mother read to me. It told of how the fairies painted the sticky buds on the trees to protect the baby leaves from the frost. I thought of that tale when the dog and I were out for our pre-dawn wander. The buds are swelling, and reaching up, sure enough the tight little buds are sticky with sap.

There were celandines in the wood this morning, a sheltered little patch that seems to have stolen a march on spring. Their tiny, glossy petals were barely beginning to unfold their fragility to the dawn, but the brilliant yellow that showed against the green offered a promise.

spring morn 028

There is promise in the sunshine today too. Not much warmth yet, but the skies are blue and bright, with a possibility, a mere hint, of warmer days to come. As the frost recedes and the green shows more vividly across the landscape, there is a little vernal vibrancy tingling in the air.

The birds are busy collecting stray fluff and feathers, early lambs and the odd calf gambol in the fields or snuggle close to Mum for warmth. It is a typical moment of the turning of the tides. In spite of iced ponds and bitter winds, you can almost feel the sap rising.

spring morn 034

I love these moments where you can see the turning of the wheel, the cycle of life in motion. Spring may slide into summer with barely a noise, but the change from winter to spring comes with a fanfare, a riot of colour. For now Spring is waiting in the wings. We, the audience, hear the occasional rustle, catch an odd whisper of the glimpse of a golden skirt as she prepares for the raising of the curtain. It is all poised, hushed and eager to begin.

It is a season of births and beginnings and we ourselves feel and respond to the changing seasons. It is a rather nice feeling to be aligned with the forces of Nature in this way, waiting for the sun to come in and light everything, painting it gold and filling it with warmth and life. It feels right that this should be the moment where tomorrow begins.

spring flowers 015

Sue Vincent is a Yorkshire-born writer with a camera. She has written a number of books, both alone and with Stuart France, exploring ancient myths, the mysterious landscape of Albion and the inner journey of the soul. She is owned by a small dog who also blogs. Find her at scvincent.com and on Twitter @SCVincent.

62 thoughts on “A fresh start”

  1. So nice to see you posting here today, Sue, and what a lovely message for us, too. Of course, since it’s 80 degrees here in central Florida today, and I’m overheated, even in shorts and loose t-shirt, I’m having to dig deep to remember what a spring day actually feels like. However, your vibrant descriptions brought it all back to me again. Beautiful photos and beautiful words. Hope you’ll feel free to pop in ANY time you’d like. You’ll always be welcome. 🙂

    Like

    Reply

  3. Lovely to see your pics, Sue.
    I’m on the south coast, and it was truly glorious down here today – up to 17 degrees! For the first time this year I looked at our boggy fields and decided they’d need rolling soon – that really means spring is on the way 😀

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

      • Wait. What is the rolling you two speak of??? We go from the dead grass of winter, to tall and green, in about 2 days, and then we just mow. You’re gonna have to explain what the heck rolling does. (Of course, bear in mind, in Florida, it’s all sand, anyway. No rich loam, or the like.) I suspect a heavy roller would just sink. 😯

        Like

        Reply

          • Well, that’s a chore I’m happy to do without. We do have to mow weekly most of the year, but Mark and I aren’t fans of big lawns. They are so water and fertilizer intensive in Florida, it’s not really healthy for the environment. So, we’ve done lots of brick pathways, and big beds of flowers and shrubs, instead. Much friendlier to this environment, where half of the fertilizers wash into the streams and lakes and cause algae blooms, etc. Different land, different problems. 🙂 But no rolling required. 😀

            Like

            Reply

              • My little guys have fun chasing squirrels and lizards up and down the curvy brick paths, but it wouldn’t be perfect for more active, or larger, breeds. The dachshunds spend half their time nosing around beneath bushes, hoping I won’t notice them digging holes. 😀 And the cats are indoor animals. Most of the critters in my back yard are wild, and happy there. Birds by the gazillion, a few harmless and very pretty snakes, lots of lizards, and then the wretched squirrels, minions of Satan, every one of them! Grrrr. This year, they at busy eating all of my loquats, before I even get a taste.

                Liked by 1 person

                Reply

                • I just have cows and moles…and the cows tend to stay on the other side of the fence 🙂 There are the occasional vistirs though…the rabbits, hedgehogs and foxes that wander in (much to Ani’s disgust) but the birds are the best, with the resident robin and always the red kites overhead.

                  Liked by 1 person

    • All I can tell you, is 17 degrees is lower than we get here ALL winter, even if we have a freeze. When we do, it will drop into the 20’s overnight, and by the next day, is usually back up to at least 65, and heading higher. I’m lucky if I get to use our fireplace twice between Christmas and the end of January, and after that, it’s bathing suit time, again.

      Like

      Reply

  4. The promise of spring sounds good. We’ve had rain for a few days, then the cold snap hit and again it clear and crisp. No flowers reaching for the sun yet. At least, not to my knowledge.
    Love pictures, Sue. Thanks so much for sharing. ❤ ❤ ❤

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  6. Lovely post from Sue. It has been lovely today with real warmth in the sunshine. We’re wandering around muttering about how, after an incredibly mild winter, we can’t possibly have got away with it and expecting the worst aspects of winter have yet to come!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  8. I’m reading this early Friday morning, watching the snow fall out of gray leaden clouds. I am SO READY for spring — but so are the songbirds, who were singing at 5:30 this morning. I filled up the birdfeeder so they can survive…til spring. Lovely post. xo

    Like

    Reply

  13. Lovely post, Sue. One week (and a day) until the Vernal Equinox. 🌼 Spring will have sprung in all its splendor. I love your line about spring sliding into summer but winter giving way with such fanfare. ❤

    Like

    Reply

Looking forward to hearing what YOU think! NOTE: If in doubt about leaving comments on this blog, please read the privacy statement in the menu at the top of the page.