Ants in my pants…
Last weekend I had ants in my pants. There is no other way to describe it. I paced up and down the open-plan downstairs of my house, restless and unsure what to do. The Spring Equinox was a few days away. But I was fed up of waiting.
I wanted to drink coffee and eat breakfast outside on days it wasn’t pouring down with rain.
So, on Sunday, I decided enough was enough and I was inviting spring into my life.
I marched outside and started moving the table and chairs from where they’ve been stored over winter and removed the covers.
Better. I could now at least sit outside.
But, then my eye caught on the Lazy Spa hot tub. I mean, maybe it was time to put that up, too. But as I pulled away the covers, I realised it needed a really good clean.
Before I knew it, I was moving from one job to another, transforming the outside space.
Welcoming spring into the garden
Our outdoor space is not the best. We live in a rural area, but our house is rented. The landlord decided to surround the house with large gravel for ease of maintenance. But that means there’s a real lack of green space within our fences.
But that doesn’t mean we can’t welcome spring. Last year, I decided to start with a couple of pots. I have a reputation for killing plants. So, the idea was to start small and build.
I had planted lavender in one of the pots, but it’s had some challenges. I realised after a while the pot was too small for it. But naughty Dexter, the Welsh border collie also kept trying to eat its soil, knocking it over in the process.
Then the storms came, knocking it over more than once. I thought is was beyond repair. But while scrubbing the hot tub, I realised there was new signs of growth. Despite looking forlorn and wonky, it had survived.
So, naturally, I moved from cleaning the hot tub to rescuing my beloved lavender. It needed a larger pot. I had one but it was occupied by small plants grown from bee-friendly wildflower seeds. It had been an experiment that didn’t work too well.
As I tried to pull these from the pot, the whole lot came out, roots bound round the soil. That was a problem for later. I put new soil in the pot and transferred my lavender.
But what about the dog’s taste for soil? A few of those gravel stones sprinkled over the top sorted that issue. I stood back, admiring my work, like a proud mother. I had kept the lavender alive for a year, at least!
But what about my wildflowers? The only flowerbed we have is out the front just beyond the gate to our drive. It is shoved in a shady corner and faces north. I doubt they will have enough sunlight. But decide to experiment with these plants again.
Soon, I’ve dug a hole for the plant pot shaped mass of wildflowers and their roots. I’ve previously improved the soil in this area, so at least they’re getting a better chance at making it.
But while I’m out by this flowerbed, I notice the once small wooden border has all but crumbled away, and weeds of some kind are now spreading and growing across the driveway. A couple of minutes later, spade in hand, I begin digging…
…It is a while before I return to the hot tub scrubbing.
…And I now have plans to dig a trench for railway sleepers this weekend.
It seems that once I got started in welcoming spring to the garden, there was more and more to do.
I no longer had ants in my pants. I had purpose. I may have ended the day with a crippled back and aching butt cheeks, but I was happy. And the joy has only continued.
Observations from sitting outside
Not every day this week has leant itself to sitting outside with a cup of coffee and plateful of breakfast. But on the days it was possible, I saw and heard things I would otherwise not have noticed.
I have twice sipped on coffee while a cormorant, with its black feathers and long, thin beak, stood proud on a nearby phone mast, its wings spread wide, drying on the breeze.
At the same time, a familiar mewing has me looking up. Two red kites are soaring on the thermals, high in the sky. Once almost extinct, it’s hard to feel anything but joy when I see them. It has been an incredibly successful breeding program, and they can now be spotted over most of the country.
There is also the familiar trilling of blue tits, the blackbird’s morning song, and the “teacher, teacher” call of a great tit flying back and forth.
But the greatest surprise comes one evening as the farmland opposite pulls on a coat of darkness. It is a sound I’ve only heard in one specific place before, a few miles down the canal, in a farmer’s field that joins the water’s edge.
It is distinctive, unlike anything else you will here. The rise and fall peewit sound catches my ear. It sounds almost man-made, like someone is turning a dial on a radio or synthesiser, the squeal pitching higher, then lower.
A lapwing.
There is at least one lapwing in the field, just metres from my home. It is too dark to try and spot it’s crown of elongated feathers peaking above the grassland.
But the sound alone is enough for joy to ripple through me.
There is so much to discover and welcome in this season, and I can’t wait to spend more time outside, listening and feeling what spring has to tell me. I can’t get enough of it.
Spring reading and rituals
I’m inviting and indulging in spring anyway I can, including reading spring-themed newsletters and articles on Substack which you may enjoy, too. Below are some of my recommendations, and there is something for everyone, however you might feel about spring.
First up is this ritual from
to support you in the transition from winter to spring. I can’t wait to try this out.
Next, is a piece from
talking about the arrival of spring in Ohio. I particularly love her mention of the Merlin Bird ID app. I, too, have finally started learning to differentiate the bird songs thanks to this app. Although, I’m slightly jealous she has heard so many different species!
And, of course, I’m going to love this piece from
discussing how Mother Nature is a therapist. My first piece of writing on here was on this topic.
If you’ve ever felt shame that the ‘spring cleaning’ urge seems lost on you, then take a read of this piece from
. There are some particularly hilarious observations (my favourite is the one about the mirror!).
Finally, here is something for those of you who might not be so excited about spring. If you’re someone who doesn’t want to come out of winter’s hiding yet, then this piece from
will resonate.
That’s it for this Sunday Short on welcoming spring. But I want to hear about your spring. What are you noticing around you? How are you welcoming it into your corner of the world? And if you’re in the southern hemisphere where it is not spring, please do share your changes in the season too!
Beautiful! Thank you for including my post about nature Tara! 🍃😊