Winter in England tends to be a grey affair, thick cloud flattening the sky and the light, the short drab days making you want to hibernate. Lights are on most of the day and there’s often a creeping damp cold in the air. Today’s a case in point, wet, windy and very grey, a typical January day. So any signs that spring is on its way are to be grabbed with both hands and cherished.
Twice in the last week I’m glad to say I’ve had that feeling although, unfortunately, neither has involved the warmth of the sun. The first was seeing the first flowers of 2021, tender white and yellow primroses under the trees in a local park. The second is the return of the geese to the same place, a mafiosi of greylags who strut around the place for eight or nine months before heading off somewhere else. So with both of these minor events I know that winter’s starting to ebb even if we’ve got a way to go yet. Being in lockdown, not able to get out much and seeing only a very small corner of the world doesn’t help in getting through the winter months so you’ve got to grab the positives when you can!
(If you’re not from the UK and you’re wondering quite how drab and rubbish a British winter can be, just listen to The Beatles song ‘Here Comes the Sun’, written about just this, the end of winter. It encapsulates perfectly the burst of joy in those first few proper spring days here when all of a sudden the air is light and the sun shines warm on your face).
Archaeo-travelo-cycling-cooking Man 