“Spring has returned. The Earth is like a child that knows poems.”-Rainer Maria Rilke
Spring (March, April, May) Scattered
throughout the meadow, tiny remnants of emerging life lie quietly
discarded. I find a soft pearly egg shell, speckled brown on pale
greeny-blue. A blackbird egg! I remember well because blackbirds have
been my favourite bird since I was little. I carefully pick up the egg
shell and hold it in a cupped palm, feeling as though I've been let in
on an amazing secret.
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Spring is:
...growth, gentle, green, sprouting, enlivening, sunlight,
daffodils, birdsong, childhood, fluidity, flight, dreaming, creativity,
eggs, myth, energy...Day and night are roughly equal and the
warmer months are on their way. The smell of summer is already in the
air, and those bright warm days are beginning to find their way back
in. From March to April, this is still a muddy squelchy time of the year, but things are
certainly brightening up. As the sap continues to rise and everything
bursts into bloom, this is a good time to start new projects and to
explore the magic of growing and gardening.
Things to do in March and April:
-Decorate eggs with brightly coloured natural dyes or paints
-Plant seeds like pumpkins in pots on a windowsill until they're large enough to plant outdoors.
-Place a wish or intention upon seeds for something you want to grow in your life.
-Make a compost bin or start a herb garden
-Make a den
-Have a picnic in a bluebell wood. Explore faery places with friends
-Get together with friends and plant some trees
| The hedgerows are laden with white blackthorn blossom. In the
sunlight, the entire lane is lit up in a blaze of snow-like petals.
For some reason they make me think of fluffy cake mixture on electric whisks. Good enough to eat. Unfortunately
they're really pretty spiky! Later in the year the blackthorn will grow
round blueish berries called sloes, which some people make into gin.
For now, they just look stunning; a real sign of spring. |
| Common name: Lesser Celandine Latin name: Ranunculus ficaria
I
spotted some Lesser Celandine growing along the hedgerow at the edge of
the meadow. This is such a cheerful little flower with 8-12 bright
yellow petals, and 'ace of spades' shape leaves growing mostly at the
base. | 
|
| Common name: Garlic Mustard Latin name: Alliaria petiolata
I saw this flower growing along the hedgerow but I didn't know what it was. It reminded me of ramsons (wild garlic). Looking it up, it appears to be garlic mustard. The leaves smell like garlic when crushed and it can also be used in cooking. |
Things to do in May:
-Climb the nearest hill with friends and family on the morning of May 1st (before sunrise). If safe and with permission, light a bonfire and tell poetry and stories.
-Drum to wake up the sleepy spirits of earth. Make noise and watch the morris dancers on May morning.
-Dress in green on May day. Decorate yourself with willow withys, greenery and flowers.
-Research the history and mythology of your local landscape and rediscover lost traditions.
-Have a romantic picnic with your boyfriend or girlfriend.
-Memorise some poems or a story.
-Go for a boat ride along the river.
