Monday 12 January 2015

Reflections on Winter Blues to Spring Equinox

Magnolia tree blossoms

Is anyone else feeling the winter blues...?


 I don't mind January too much really. Maybe it is because we have had days of grey cloudy skies, gales and winds and hard-driving cold rain. In reality, the weather is not as severe as we might get at all and we have had much more severe conditions.

 In a way, it is a quiet time,  welcome after the hectic time of December and a New Year is always a chance to adopt new habits, new hope for the future.

However it is still mid-winter, cold, windy, rainy and I still cannot get out in my garden very much. Our heavy clay soil is sticky and difficult to walk on and ruins the grass and soil if walked on much so we keep it to a minimum.

 I watch from the patio eagerly looking for signs of new life and I know they are there. I generally feel quieter, more sluggish, more in hibernation mode in January.

So just reflecting and looking forward. We are moving away now from the winter Solstice which was on December 21st. It is often called "Yule" or "mid-winter". 

The night time reached its maximum zenith, it was the shortest hours of daylight possible. Each day after the Winter solstice the hours of daylight increase. If the day is cloudy and dark and grey, generally we may not notice it but it is there...

Even though the cold darkness is still with us, the hours of daylight are lengthening and there is a promise of brighter days to come. 

With the Spring Equinox, the hours of darkness and the hours of daylight are equal in length and following this the hours of daylight increase and the hours of darkness decrease. 

The Spring equinox is a time for renewal. Often it is the best time to plant many seeds as the earth warms up and naturally comes to life.

At Easter time we decorate Eggs as in nature they are a symbol of hope, life and fertility.

I always feel a renewed energy at Springtime!  A renewed sense of life and a new gardening year. In many ways, for me this time of year is the new natural year and I celebrate that. 


The start of the spring season sees cattle led out of barns if they have been kept there for shelter in the winter out to freedom in green pastures.

Our hibernating wildlife starts to emerge again. Birds start to look for nest sites and mates. Lambs are born, an amazing feature of every Springtime that is a wonder and joy to see. Cute Lambs In Spring. 

Trees burst forth to blossom and Spring flowers bloom often brilliant cheerful colours announcing the end of winter and the beginning of warmer times. There is nothing more cheerful than a bright yellow daffodil! 

Magnolia blossom is a stunning sight all of its own and we love the delicate blooms on the bare branches. 



We start to smell the fragrance in the garden again. Of course, there are fragrant flowers in winter but we need to make the effort to go out and look for them. In spring and summer we are spoiled with gorgeous colour and fragrances to delight our senses.

For me, Spring marks the new dawn, the new gardening season and a new joy...It is just around the corner and I am looking forward to it.

What does Spring mean to you? 



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