Hope Springs; Spring Hopes

 

I grew up fearing Summers. I didn’t really pay attention to blink-and-you-miss-it Spring. But Summers, I learnt to dread.

White heat. Incandescent and incessant white heat is what I remember of Summers. That, and the molten asphalt sticking to the underside of my school shoes. Hair on my arms bleached golden in the Sun. Thrice daily showers and endless rounds of lemonade. Longing to go out, but having to take two-hour naps so we didn’t wilt under the heat of the afternoon Sun.

Also Milton water bottles. The only water bottles that would do in the Summers. I remember my Mum filling our bottles with chilled water in the morning and us sipping greedily from them on the way to School, knowing that the water would be an undrinkable lukewarm by noon.

I remember the sweet smell from the Jasmine plants that filled the balmy evenings with a heady perfume. My memories set on the orangey-yellow Instagram filter that makes everything look baked and sizzling. Spring never existed there.

I read about Spring at school and knew it was the season of new beginnings, when plants came into bloom and winter clothes had to be stashed away with mothballs but I have no visual recollection of Spring in India.

It was only after I migrated to England that I learnt to love and cherish Spring, the season when the grey gloomy skies burst into azure brilliance…when flowers popped up, giddily drinking in all the warmth the Sun had to offer.

I learnt to wait for Spring and all it brought with it; record-breaking 21 degrees Celsius highs and a promise.

A promise that after the bitter, long and protracted winter, Summer isn’t far behind. Summer. A British Summer of ice creams, sun creams, BBQs, sleeping in the park and long, lazy, boozy pub lunches.

Pimms drinking summers, maxi dressed summers, boho sandaled summers, once-a-week-pedicure summers, bright nail polished summers, over-sized shades covered summers, Heat magazine reading summers.

Are you excited yet?

Here are some pictures from my twice daily walks with Hobbes, hope they fill you with as much hope, happiness and sheer joy as they did me.

And, Happy Spring!

Cherry tree in full bloom

Hobbes tries to blend in with the Daffodils

Johnson’s Blue Lungwort, they heal minor wounds very fast. Hobbes shows off his pedicure here next to them

Waves of Saxifrage

Vibrant purple and blue borders

First tulip in my garden

Pansies

Flowering Quince tree. The flowers look good enough to eat, I cannot begin to imagine how beautiful the fruit will be!

Muscari, like inked-in grapes

Fig buttercups, a type of weed. But, oh so pretty

Boughs almost breaking with the weight of blossoms

Sun burst kisses