Sunday, March 6, 2011

Signs of Spring

When do you know that spring is on the way?  Not, for me, a specific calendar date but a subtly transformative sensation in the air  - alerting and enlivening all the senses.  Gradually lengthening days with (hooray!) brighter skies; happy bursts of colour burgeoning all around; blossom precociously composing itself for star status, smiles more prevalent on friendly faces.

Yesterday afternoon, in royal Richmond Park, the temperature remained chilly but the sun shone abundantly - encouraging spring shoots to nudge their way above ground.  I was captivated by the open-faced charm of the early-flowering white clematis, strewn beguilingly with deep-pink freckles.

Strange the contrast  - a mere few yards up the hill - where a faintly forlorn coterie of snowdrops are close to their annual curtain call, making way for new life.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

'blossom precociously composing itself for star status' Beautiful, Arlene. Richmond Park is one of my favourite places. You are between tow jewels of the boroughs Richmond Park and Kew Gardens. Enjoy the glorious spring - I look forward to more blossom posts!

arlene k said...

Thanks, Karina! Blossom will, no doubt, be featuring (here) on a regular basis, soon... Hope it's sunny where you are, too.