March 15

The first strong day of spring. The first clear blue sky of the year. The first time the sun has shone and people have wanted to be outside. The first day the daffodils don’t look beautiful in contrast to some late wintry gloom; their colour is part of the day’s glory. Two yellow brimstone butterflies hurry through the undergrowth. They fly at a reckless speed, ducking and dipping between branches and bushes. A stumbling bee noses about the grass that is speckled with dandelions. A light wind nods every woody limb. Clouds like pouting lips bulge with water. A blackbird’s song is stronger then before, stronger every day