A Hint of Spring

Spring decided to show its face today.

The morning sky was full of haze, the valley steeped in mist, but the sun was radiant and threatening to change it all. By lunchtime, the sun had won and the haze was no more. From behind the window, the day was inviting me out, like it had something it wanted to show me. It would be rude to turn it down. Plus the dog needed walking. I probably needed walking too.

When my lunch break arrived, I was out the door and with good company; Whinnie (The Dog) and Pippa (The Girlfriend) were in tow. We live on top of a hill, and just on the edge of our town. We’re very lucky really, just a few minutes from our house the landscape turns into rolling farmer's fields. They’re the kind of farmer's fields that you’re allowed to walk through, for some reason or another. As long as you’re polite and all that. Stay to the side, or the path, don’t trample on the crops or scare the animals. You know, basic human decency. The animals scare us sometimes though. You don’t realise how big a cow is until you turn round a corner headfirst into one. Blimey, they’re massive!

Anyway, we didn’t do any bumping into cows today. Just a simple walk. The first field that you enter from our house offers a view down into the valley and up the other side. The view is simply stunning. Sometimes I take it for granted, but today I didn’t. I stopped and stared, took it all in. All the fields, the trees, the little houses dotted about. It felt good just to look at it all.

The fields are hedged by trees, bushes and brambles. It separates them all up and you can only enter or leave them at certain points, unless you’re a madman and feel like walking through a thick wall of thorns. We stuck to the traditional paths, we like our bodies thorn free.

Most of the trees and bushes looked pretty bare, but here and there a few blossom trees were blooming . Some were white, some were pink, others somewhere in between. Whinnie trotted along and I threw a little ball for her a few times. She looked happy, in the innocent way only dogs can. Pure. There were some birds of prey circling the fields. A single butterfly was out fluttering. In the distance the hum of a lawnmower sang and the scent of freshly cut grass drifted on the wind. I made up a silly rhyme “Today, spring came out to play. I’m sure it’ll go away, it’s not quite time for it to stay, but it sure did make my day.” Pippa laughed at it.

The weather forecast predicts clouds and rain for another couple of weeks, but today spring came out with a promise. Brighter days are ahead.