February 2011
Well, I think the compressed coil of Mother Nature is just about to unleash itself. Spring is about to spring.
I definitely saw the first signs of spring this week, our snowdrops are out and I actually saw blossom. The groups of ladybirds that have been hibernating in various corners of the house have started to leave and spiders have just started to build their first webs of the year. We are going to, and coming home from, work in daylight now (just about) which is always a good sign. And, as I walked the dogs around the village last night I could hear a number of ewes penned up in the farm that can’t be far away from lambing. ”What became of your lamb, Clarice?” (Sorry I was doing well up until then - trying to keep it light and happy this week).
So, are we in Spring yet? Well, astronomically speaking the vernal equinox in the northern hemisphere (that’s where we are) is about the 20th of March. This represents the middle of Spring which infers that we should already be in it. However, many people insist that March 21st is the first day of spring. So, I don’t really know. I suspect there is no definitive answer.
According to the QI Elves (the guys behind the QI series on BBC), it takes Spring about 6 weeks to travel from the south of the UK to the north. Which is about 15 miles a day by my calculation.
I think the wonder of Spring evaporates the very moment that the lawn starts growing to the point where you have to drag the lawnmower out of the shed and spend 30 minutes wrenching your back trying to get the bloody thing started. (Whoops, nearly slipped into rant-mode there.)
So, however long Spring lasts, enjoy it!
And finally, spare a thought for the Irish businessman and former politician - Richard Spring - for whom it is always Spring.
It’s slightly unfortunate, from a PR perspective, that throughout his career Richard was known as “Dick Spring” which sounds more like an early version of a mechanical rival to Viagra than the name of a successful politician...
Boing, boing, boing!