It isn’t just the obvious signs of flowers and fresh leaves all over the place, but the increased noise of the birds and water fowl is music to my ears. The ducks on the river are gossiping away with gusto, and cursing all the rowing boats passing by. This being Germany with 21c today, the 2019 grilling season is officially open and the heady aroma of sausages and steaks on the grills permeate through the windows.
Sun, it means more to me than anyone will ever understand. I am a child of the islands, born to thrive in heat and humidity, but more importantly, with the sun. Take the sun away from me and you take away the principle source of nourishment of my soul. The long dark winters of Europe are sheer torture for me, and I rejoice when temperatures climb all the way up to the two-digit levels.
I returned to the outdoor tennis courts yesterday, much to my delight. The indoor courts were not my cup of tea, in addition to being more expensive and really out of my way considering I don’t have a car. My trainer was glad to see me back and was concerned about my health after all the issues I battled with during winter. But I was in good form and had way too much power that needed to be reeled in. Control, timing, and concentration – the three valuable lessons that journey with me on and off the courts.
To celebrate the gorgeous weather, I moved my apple tree out to the balcony, placing it next to the containers of blueberries and butternut squash! The various pots of mint are flourishing, and the carrots, potatoes and leek are coming up nicely. In my enthusiasm, however, I knocked over an entire tray of lovage (Liebstöckel) pots that I just re-potted last week, taking along two pots of chives with them, all crashing unceremoniously on top of my parents´ favourite elephants! A glorious mess, but the sun was shining, two out of three cats were lounging in the sun, so it didn’t matter.
Serenity.
Once the unholy mess was swept up, I turned towards my closet and took out all the turtleneck shirts, replacing them with the lighter blouses. Ah, what a wonderful feeling to push all the heavy coats back and put away the boots!
Even our lunch today was a pure celebration of spring – tuna steaks with a Caribbean topping of curried banana and avocado over a bed of lettuce and strawberries. My daughter is painting in the conservatory and Michael Bluble is crooning in the background, spring has arrived.
FrogDiva Thoughts 