Signs of Spring came to our garden in Dorset as soon as the New Year celebrations were over! Bulbs were pushing up through the earth and grass – everywhere at a frantic pace. So far there has been no snow, few frosts, deluges of rain and stormy weather and incessant wind! What will March bring? Daffodils, crocus, primroses are now in flower and early cherry blossoms create a dusting of pink against a backdrop of still leafless trees. Always my favourites, beautiful Hellebores cut a dash in purple, cream and yellow. A winter into spring gardenscape which will soon be full of colour… and gentle breezes I hope.
A few bright blue sky days in between the dark grey ones make it possible to go out and feel the sunshine and see the affect the light has on everything. It is oh! so difficult to find inspiration to paint without the light. Whistler painted Nocturnes, Lowry managed to create his work in an attic room, Van Gogh needed the sunlight and Georgia O’Keefe the great outdoors. All artists are different.
Thomas Hardy wrote about the endless winter rain, not until the end of April did he feel we had turned the corner but with our climate changing springtime appears to be coming earlier each year.
“Week after week, month after month, the time had flown by. Christmas had passed. Dreary winter with dark evenings had given place to more dreary winter with light evenings. Thaws had ended in rain, rain in wind, wind in dust. Showery days had come – the period of pink dawns and white sunsets: with the third week in April the cuckoo had appeared; with the fourth, the nightingale.” Thomas Hardy (Desperate Remedies)
The cuckoo is becoming more scarce to hear in our countryside and the nightingale’s song almost gone but the blackbirds and thrushes will soon be adding their voices to the dawn chorus and we must be grateful for that. Not yet a “Silent Spring”. (Rachel Carson)
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