The last year has been a tough year for everyone. In the UK, we are less than two weeks away from the anniversary of the first lockdown. The restrictions have been far-reaching, affecting the lives of some people more than others. Many have suffered the irreversible.
I like to think that the darkest hour always precedes the dawn. The horizon may still be distant, but it is in sight! - which is why it’s so important to maintain a sense of hope. We are just weeks away from British Summer Time. Before we know it, the evenings will start getting lighter. Soon the Hawthorne will be in full bloom, followed by the scent of damson and cherry blossoms. The daffodils and bluebells will grace our woodlands; with bees, butterflies and pollen abound…
I’m getting excited just thinking about it!
Here's a short poem to mark the coming of spring:
All suddenly the wind comes soft, and Spring is here again; And the hawthorn quickens with buds of green, and my heart with buds of pain.
My heart all Winter lay so numb, the earth so dead and frore, That I never thought the Spring would come, or my heart wake any more.
But Winter's broken and earth has woken, and the small birds cry again; And the hawthorn hedge puts forth its buds, and my heart puts forth its pain.
Rupert Brooke, 1912
