I know that Spring is here, not because of all the green shoots, daffodils in flower in sheets around the village, but from the fact that last Sunday morning my 3-year-old granddaughter stood up in her cot, pushed the curtains to one side and sang to the birds outside. So there you have it, the ultimate indicator of Spring having sprung.
I suppose all the other usual things have happened to show that our little part of the world is warming up, but they are nothing compared to my granddaughter's songs to the bird. I really wish I had had a tape recorder. Not having one, I will simply have to remember her songs.
There is one other sign of Spring that I think is amazingly beautiful. It's the appearance of white blossom smothering the multitude of dark, empty Blackthorn trees in so many hedgerows and roadsides. In six weeks' time it'll be the turn of Hawthorn to flirt with us using its white blossom dress over a soft green petticoat of unfurled leaves.
Meanwhile, let's just watch what happens in our gardens. Roses will grow fast; Winter Jasmine, now that it has finished flowering, is about to start it's Spring growth and Primulas are now at their very best showing clumps of brightly coloured petals. Oh, how wonderful it is to be alive in days like today!
