April 2017

When I was a child growing up in the UK, spring was always my favourite season. Winters in Scotland were cold and dark and all the trees and flowers were dead, so the minute the first snowdrops began to push their way through the ground I could heave a sigh of relief that it was nearly over and the light, warmth and greenery were coming back.

Fragile-looking snowdrops are always the first sign that spring is on its way.

Shortly after the snowdrops have arrived the lovely yellow, purple and white crocuses start to add a bit of colour to the world.

I am never happier than when I see the world transformed into a sea of yellow during daffodil season.

Flowers

I also love bluebell season when our woodlands are carpeted with these lovely blue flowers.

Primroses are another lovely herald of spring.

Rhododendrons remind me of my childhood when we used to play on land that had once belonged to an old estate house, now demolished. The path down to the place the house once stood was lined with rhododendron bushes.

We have travelled to Japan several times to see the spring blossoms, but the trees are also beautiful back home, too.

This field near my brother-in-law's house is a mass of yellow rapeseed in spring time.

Tulips are one of the most popular spring flowers.

We passed sheep and lambs on our country walk in the south of England.