The first day of spring

In a poor imitation of Harry Secombe, I’m walking down through the field singing If I Ruled The World.

It's just as well no-one else is about. It's not a very good imitation, especially the high bits. Even the dog is cowering.

But the song just popped into my head. And this has nothing to do with Brexit, Bercow or people jostling for positions in the forthcoming local government reorganisation here in Dorset. It'st because the second line is ‘every day would be the first day of spring’.

It’s feeling very spring-like this morning, despite ribbons of mist in the valley and grey skies overpowering the blue. Despite natural and man-made disasters around the world, despite climate change, plastic pollution and our materialistic culture. Despite bickering politicians, sleaze and crime.

In my world, there are woodpeckers drilling for England, pigeons cooing their plaintive call and grey squirrels scampering through the skeletal branches of beech.

Up on the hill, there are clumps of bluebells just biding their time before bursting forth their sweet, sweet, sweetness.

Mud and cow dung give a satisfying slurp as I wade through in my wellies. This morning, the phantom gate leaver opener has failed to strike and the cattle are lowing in the field in which they're meant to be lowing.

A horse chestnut tree is budding, the cherries are in blossom and my wallflowers having been giving the village a good show since well before Christmas. In the verges there are violets, primroses, celandines and daisies.

The world is still turning, just.

Today marks the Spring Equinox, a magical time when the days are as long as the nights. There is a change in the seasons, a sign of new hope.

Today, I'm wearing my Star Wars T-shirt and wishing the world were a better place. Like Harry's, if I were in charge, my world would wear a smile on its face.

I've just logged out of Twitter, where inane chattering does my head in, but not before I discovered that as well as it being the first day of spring, it's also the International Day of Happiness. Who knew?

This year's theme is Happier Together, focusing on what we have in common, rather than what divides us.

Amen to that.

That's about it.

Love, Maddie x