The wakening of Spring

Our daughter-in-law and our two youngest granddaughters are due back this evening from a half-term visit to Poland to visit their Polish relatives. They’ve had a lovely week, but unfortunately their flight has been delayed several hours owing to a technical fault on their plane, so they are waiting for a replacement plane to arrive. In the meantime, little L has started to run a temperature, so it will be a stressful wait. 

On a lighter note, our pigeon patio is a huge sucess! The twisted hazel tree above it is now sporting catkins, so I took this shot while there was a patch of blue sky to set them off.

The Hazel-Catkin Fairy

Like little tails of little lambs,
On leafless twigs my catkins swing;
They dingle-dangle merrily
Before the wakening of Spring.
Beside the pollen-laden tails
My tiny crimson tufts you see
The promise of the autumn nuts
Upon the slender hazel tree.
While yet the woods lie grey and still
I give my tidings; "Spring is near!"
One day the land shall leap to life
With fairies calling: "Spring is HERE!"

Cicely Mary Barker