One Swallow doesn't make a summer
23rd April 2015
23rd April
One swallow doesn't make a summer
I have just enjoyed 3 days walking the hills of the Lake District, South Cumbria and the Yorkshire Dales.
The weather has been amazing, with blue skies and a bright and very warming sun. All around are potent symbols of spring, as wild flowers are literally springing from the soil and newly arrived birds flitting from tree branch to tree branch.
I enjoy this time of year more than any. I have been waiting, it seems for ever, to see the wildflowers and birds to reappear. The signs of new life brings hope and excitement. This spring flora and fauna are old friends. Companions that accompany me on my days out in the hills. Their appearance makes the day real, as they ground me to what is important and fundamental about life. These small, though beautiful arrivers redirect my attention beyond the social microcosm I operate in and help me laugh at my role in its trivial drama. These Spring arrivals help me to stop and observe and to reflect, and therefore gain a meaningful perspective of my role and what is truly important in life.
Some of these friends are wild flowers so I am beside myself after encountering so many on the hillsides and hedgerows around Whitbarrow Scar. This limestone outcrop seems to have the perfect conditions for Celandine, Cowslips, Dog Violets and wild garlic. On this walk I counted over 20 new arrivals and saw my first Bluebells of the year. There are so many new flowers, but there is even more to come as I know these are the emissaries of a larger party that will be arriving soon.
Another first for the year was the a Swallow. I have been waiting for this return more than any other. The swallow represents summer, growth, warmth and primarily hope. Even though the Swallow has arrived almost two weeks later than last year, its potency is no less. In fact, it's lateness added to the tension, and making me I punch the air and exclaim, "They are back!"
This sole Swallow has returned after its winter sojourn, and it is almost impossible to comprehend the enormous distances it has flown, or the many life or death challenges it has experienced to now eventually sit on this barn gutter. It's story is nothing short of a Hollywood blockbuster and to see it nonchalantly perched above me, casually viewing the world, is 'hope' personified. This one Swallow is a symbol of all the good times ahead. Warm long days, full of fresh growing produce, hillsides full of colour and sparkling streams, days that seem endless. However, I have to appreciate, for now, the old saying ..."One swallow doesn't make a summer" but then, the hoping, like waiting for the sun to come back, is often the greater feeling.
One swallow doesn't make a summer
I have just enjoyed 3 days walking the hills of the Lake District, South Cumbria and the Yorkshire Dales.
The weather has been amazing, with blue skies and a bright and very warming sun. All around are potent symbols of spring, as wild flowers are literally springing from the soil and newly arrived birds flitting from tree branch to tree branch.
I enjoy this time of year more than any. I have been waiting, it seems for ever, to see the wildflowers and birds to reappear. The signs of new life brings hope and excitement. This spring flora and fauna are old friends. Companions that accompany me on my days out in the hills. Their appearance makes the day real, as they ground me to what is important and fundamental about life. These small, though beautiful arrivers redirect my attention beyond the social microcosm I operate in and help me laugh at my role in its trivial drama. These Spring arrivals help me to stop and observe and to reflect, and therefore gain a meaningful perspective of my role and what is truly important in life.
Some of these friends are wild flowers so I am beside myself after encountering so many on the hillsides and hedgerows around Whitbarrow Scar. This limestone outcrop seems to have the perfect conditions for Celandine, Cowslips, Dog Violets and wild garlic. On this walk I counted over 20 new arrivals and saw my first Bluebells of the year. There are so many new flowers, but there is even more to come as I know these are the emissaries of a larger party that will be arriving soon.
Another first for the year was the a Swallow. I have been waiting for this return more than any other. The swallow represents summer, growth, warmth and primarily hope. Even though the Swallow has arrived almost two weeks later than last year, its potency is no less. In fact, it's lateness added to the tension, and making me I punch the air and exclaim, "They are back!"
This sole Swallow has returned after its winter sojourn, and it is almost impossible to comprehend the enormous distances it has flown, or the many life or death challenges it has experienced to now eventually sit on this barn gutter. It's story is nothing short of a Hollywood blockbuster and to see it nonchalantly perched above me, casually viewing the world, is 'hope' personified. This one Swallow is a symbol of all the good times ahead. Warm long days, full of fresh growing produce, hillsides full of colour and sparkling streams, days that seem endless. However, I have to appreciate, for now, the old saying ..."One swallow doesn't make a summer" but then, the hoping, like waiting for the sun to come back, is often the greater feeling.