Coming Together

There is no doubt that we are currently in dark and worrying times, the impact of which will likely be felt for many months ahead. I am trying to remain sensible but am naturally worried and find myself becoming increasingly aware of the people around me and have become more sensitive to anything that may be construed as a "symptom". Whilst things are certain to become worse before they get better, however, it seems vital that we all act in a responsible manner and, above all, that we are kind to each other.

In the garden of course, life is progressing as normal and I find this area of constancy is comforting in such troubling times. In fact, as I ventured outside this morning, I realised that everything is suddenly very "busy". The bees are humming, the birds are singing non-stop and our nettle patch is already sustaining the first caterpillars of the season. The birds and insects are clearly feeling the joys of Spring, and the sight of them did make me feel more cheerful.

In an effort to spread a little joy (and give my children a task whilst they are at home!), we decided to pot up a few flowers and place them around the village as gifts for people to find. It's not much, but I hoped they would bring a smile to someone who needed it. We started this task today, though the onset of rain temporarily halted our plans.

Elsewhere in the garden, the garlic I planted a short time ago has sprouted and my Magnolia stellata is starting to display its starry white blossom. I have two magnolias, but this one is certainly the more successful of the two, whilst my Magnolia denudata 'Yellow River' seems a lot more sensitive and has never really flowered well.

Time marches on in the garden and the next 24 hours will be a time of significance in the astronomical calendar as they will mark the Spring or "vernal" equinox. The equinoxes (from the Latin "equal night") are caused by the tilt of the earth as it moves around the sun. They are the mid points between the longest and shortest days and, theoretically speaking, the points at which daylight hours are the same length (about 12 hours) at all points in the earth's surface. In some ways it seems apt that this time of "coming together" should occur now, as we all face the same global crisis.