Spring fever links
We've made it. The beginning of spring. Warmer days, bluer skies, flowers, hay-fever. Yesterday we took a drive through the countryside and solid banks of flowering wattle lined the road, thick with sunshine. We took Harry and Madeleine to a playground that was bisected by a creek: fast-flowing melted snow smoothed the pebbles where brave, blue-toed children splashed and played.
Last week when the days began to warm up I opened up the doors front and back to let the clean breeze flow through and blow away some of that winter dust and germs and stuffy, toasty air that has been circulating our rooms for months. And then the urge to spring-clean took me and I really put my elbows into cleaning out... the bathroom cabinet. Well, you've got to start somewhere.
I'm ambivalent about the start of spring. This year we've had an actual winter which makes the changing season kind of lovely and new and refreshing and welcome. On the other hand, spring does tend to be a dress rehearsal for summer, and SUMMER means sunburn and sweat and sleeplessness and sand-flies. I'm trying to be more positive about the hot weather this year and I love a family day at the beach as much as the next person, but... no, give me my words in a cold cloud when I step outside of a morning, and I'm a happy little rugged-up camper.
What is your favourite season? Does spring make you happy? This year, I'm going to stop buying trouble fearing summer and embrace spring fever in the moment. Will you join me? Here are some ways to do it.
Create water colour paints out of flowers
Plant something. Even a tiny pot plant. This city garden takes my breath away. What an oasis for every season!
Make a summer delicious. Spicy watermelon, mint and lime granita, anyone?
Spring clean your life. Lila over at Little Wolff is offering this ebook free if you subscribe to her newsletter
Face your creative fears
Colour code something, for no other reason than to celebrate colour. These colour-coded photographs are will inspire you
Hidden messages. Embrace your childhood, write a secret message. A letter in lemon juice, a fortune cookie, a code. Or, even better, a message hidden in jewellery
Make some crepe paper butterflies for your next party
Save your pennies, in a jar, for something special. Remember the movie "Up"? The penny jar savings "for Peru"? And how beautiful it is when the curmudgeonly old man experiences a springtime-like renaissance as a thousand balloons lift his house up, up, up, and away! Did you love that moment? I did, I loved that whole movie. And now THIS. This series of photographs is just glorious
Two words that make me think summer might not be at all bad after all: water trampoline
