One of my favourite things about living in the UK is that we have four distinct seasons. Yes, I know, so do lots of other countries, but there are plenty that don’t. And I’ve always thought it would be really strange to live somewhere it was always really hot or really cold. Or where it gets dark at the same time every evening.
But I guess it’s all about what you’re used to.
Anyway, I love all the seasons for different reasons, but Spring has to be my favourite. I love the crisp, sunny days of Winter, followed by the cosy nights indoors, but looking out of the window at darkness before 4pm gets old pretty quick. So when the days gradually become a little longer it feels like a weight being lifted. It’s still cold, but we get the odd brief spell of warmer weather. A quick tease of what’s to come. And when the clocks go forward at the end of March we know Spring has arrived. We’ve made it. We’ve survived another winter. There may still be quite a chill in the air, but everything is getting better from here. It’s all about the promise of what’s to come. Flowers and trees beginning to bloom. Wildlife waking from a slumber. Kids playing in parks later into the evenings. A beautiful extended run-up to the long summer, when anything and everything is possible.
Speaking of wildlife, I’m lucky enough to live very close to a canal which is teeming with birds. Mainly Canadian Geese. I’ll be honest, geese are kinda dicks. If they weren’t, the amazing Untitled Goose Game wouldn’t exist. Sometimes they block the path, honking for no reason, and they can be pretty intimidating. I try to talk to them every day to get them used to the sound of my voice so they don’t see me as a threat. I think it works. But they’re not just dicks. Just like I feel a transformation in myself at the onset of Spring, I see something similar in them. Well, some of them.
This is what I spotted on my walk today:
That’s right. A lovely, calm goose, sitting on a nest, waiting for its eggs to hatch. Instead of their mindless honking, they now have a purpose. Either incubating their offspring or standing on guard nearby. Now I know what they’re getting mad about, and I can only admire their dedication to their young.
There are many more nests along this short stretch of canal and the eggs will begin hatching very soon. Within the next week or so. And I cannot wait to spot them for the first time and watch them take their first tentative steps. That’s why I love Spring.
😀