SPRING IS ON ITS WAY

I guess most of you have noticed that the days are getting longer and, even though it’s still cold and the sky is mostly grey, the intensity of the light seems to have changed giving a feeling that spring is on its way.  This makes me optimistic about the year ahead and each morning, whilst walking George in the nature reserve near our home, I look for the first signs of spring.

There aren’t many signs at present.  But the birds seem to be singing louder.  The rabbits seem more willing to venture out of their burrows.  And the bluebells poking their heads out of the soil on a south-facing bank confirm my suspicions.  Yes, spring is on its way.  Soon our own gardens will return to life and the growing season for 2010 will be upon us.

But the trees still don’t have leaves and this is where I place most of my attention.  The trees seem happy to remain asleep, even though it’s possible that new leaves are forming beneath their buds ready to burst out on a brighter and sunnier day sometime soon.  This will most likely be in about six weeks.  But I’ll keep checking. 

I’ll keep checking because we plan to use the trees to tell us when to sow our seeds this year.  In previous years we’ve had the enthusiasm of beginners, been way too keen, ignored the advice on the seed packets and in books, and ploughed ahead too early  – only to discover that radishes are the only thing willing to grow when the soil is still cold.

This year we plan to take a calmer approach.  This year we’ll wait until the trees give us the signal.  The bright fresh green of their new leaves will tell us when to go and, as each species takes its turn to kick-start new growth, our own efforts will intensify and be in tune with the conditions around us.

But for now we’ll settle for the bluebells facing south.  It’s a warming thought.