Spring has arrived!

There is nothing quite like the arrival of Spring. That first day of the year when it’s warm enough to keep the window open; when the wafts of mild air carry in their gently undulating waves the subtle scent of blossom, warmth, and hope. When you first breathe in that clement air, drinking deep on the inherent optimism it provides, you wonder how you were ever able to survive the winter in the first place – how it was possible to endure those short dark days; brisk walks hunched up against the cold; a period that now seems intolerable in this new Spring light.

I accept that we’ve been pretty lucky this year. The winter was not a cold one in the South of England – I never even had to cover my balcony plants from any frost or icy air. And the result of these clement conditions means that this year my plants are sprouting new shoots early, whereas last year they were doing so two months late. But it’s the light, or lack of it, that makes the Winter so hard – never seeing one’s home in the light of day; long dark evenings that seem to bury you in a state of soporific hypnosis. But it’s all change now, and with last weekend came the return of Light, as clocks went forwards, thus giving us longer bright evenings and heralding the onset of the summer. It also brought with it some much welcome warmth, which in turn newly embraced the fresh arrival of spring flowers everywhere.

So it is in celebration of the arrival of Spring that I share with you a whole host of Spring-themed photos which I have been taking on my travels in and around London. Being one of the greenest cities in Europe, the new fresh scent of Spring is tangible in the London air, as floral wafts spread outwards from the city’s flower-packed parks and gardens and blossom-rich trees. There is simply no better time to be in this city, whose streets and spaces are full of the hope and regeneration that comes with this new season, bustling with happy over-coat free people, and with the colour and freshness of Spring. Goodbye winter: welcome happiness.

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