First day of Spring....

Happy Spring 

My mother always said that her first glimpse of Coltsfoot (Tussilago Farfara) heralded the start of spring.

I spotted this pretty bunch yesterday.

Spring

Gerard Manley Hopkins

Nothing is so beautiful as spring—

  When weeds, in wheels, shoot long and lovely and lush;

  Thrush's eggs look little low heavens, and thrush             

Through the echoing timber does so rinse and wring       

The ear, it strikes like lightnings to hear him sing;             

  The glassy peartree leaves and blooms, they brush          

  The descending blue; that blue is all in a rush       

With richness; the racing lambs too have fair their fling.               

What is all this juice and all this joy?             

  A strain of the earth's sweet being in the beginning        

In Eden garden.—Have, get, before it cloy,

  Before it cloud, Christ, lord, and sour with sinning,          

Innocent mind and Mayday in girl and boy,             

  Most, O maid's child, thy choice and worthy the winning.

Although the tree branches are still bare

there's a lovely yellow carpet of celandines just peeping through

and the hint of catkins.

*~*~*