Today I am excited to introduce a friend of mine whom I met years ago through Flickr. I have loved her images for a long time and I think you should see how absolutely gorgeous they are.
“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” —Lao Tzu
The trees are turning green, flowers are starting to bloom, the bees are buzzing, the creeks are flowing vigorously and the birds are singing 24/7. (Side note. We still woke up to snow and hail showers last week. Here, where I live, we can get these kind of surprises even in the middle of May…)
These days sunset is close to 10PM and the days feel much longer and brighter. Even if it is raining, a lot – I truly appreciate the light. I crave this light during the dark and gloomy, Norwegian winter months (which, to be honest is basically more than half of the year).
This spring is more bittersweet than I imagined. I usually love spring and feel a rush of energy every May, this year it all feels different. May was my mum’s favourite season, her birthday month and this year it’s the first one without her. It’s just not the same watching every little bit of nature waking up, without having her around me to share it with.
My mum had so much knowledge of plants and flowers, and she was always sharing pictures with me of new buds or leaves or a new plant. She made me love plants. First I fell in love with indoor plants, then she got me hooked on outdoor plants as well.
I’ve had a balcony garden for around 10 years, but this year – I have a garden. My mum’s garden, well my garden since I now own what used to be her house. I also have a front porch and a balcony, but it’s too early to plant anything here.
It will probably be a month until I can start buying colours again and fill my pots with fragrant mint, sage, basil and thyme. Green and yellow are the two colours I miss the most in winter. Spring is kind in that way, those colours pop up early with Daffodils and all the leaves turning green.
Not having my mum around does make me appreciate things even more, it’s almost like I’m seeing things through her eyes – knowing what she felt and what she loved. I will try my best to soak everything in, just a little bit extra this year. Even the rain.
Ps. The benefit of lots of rain, is lots of clouds! How many hearts can you count in the cloudscape picture?
