On the Cusp of Spring

So much happens in March. You begin the month in the depths of winter, wrapping up warm for walks on the beach and eagerly watching the garden for signs of growth

The blankets are still very much needed and the fire is lit in the evenings.

Food is still warming and nourishing: porridge, soup, bread, roast dinners.

And then, seemingly overnight, the seasons tip over into spring. Suddenly it's just warm enough for a coffee in the garden.

The smallest jobs feel lovely.

Like planting up the front pots with bulbs and primulas. Yellow, green and white.

Like picking a tiny handful of muscari from the front garden and putting them in a vase.

Like getting into the garden and giving it a spring tidy, feeling the soil under your nails. 

Like hanging washing on the line and watching it blow about in the breeze. 

There's a shift in the kitchen. More green, more fruit and vegetables. We are almost in the season of wild garlic and bluebells (my favourite) and I want different flavours now.

The light hits different corners of the house and this is especially appreciated now that the clocks have gone forward.

It's the time of year where you don't know what to wear. Warm sun, cold wind. Walks require layers. 

Every day life continues. A birthday came and went with cake and lovely things. I am enjoying my subscription to The Simple Things magazine very much.

I received this gorgeous painting and initially hung it in the living room. 

But I think really it feels like a kitchen painting. I like it here. 

Weekends since half term have been quiet. Chores. shopping, housework, school work. Sometimes I love the quiet domesticity of it. Other times I crave fresh air, big walks and a day away from washing. 

March's shelf contained tete-a-tetes from the garden and a postcard from Finland. Green and yellow. 

I have just finished a couple of wonderful books. This one, Darling by India Knight, is a modern day re-imagining of Nancy Mitford's The Pursuit of Love. I absolutely loved this book. Funny, warm and full of vivid descriptions of the character's interior worlds.

The other is Life After Life by Kate Atkinson. She is such a good writer. I thought the BBC adaptation (which is still on iplayer I think) was really well-cast.

Tomorrow we break up for the Easter holidays and I cannot wait. Two weeks to see family, to eat, sleep, read, crochet, sew, potter in the garden, decorate and do some DIY. The weather has been beautiful lately so I am very much hoping it continues into the holidays. I need to start thinking about Easter cooking and decorations: I think it's time to bring some pastel colours into the house.