A tale from Springtime

Once upon  a time there was a little boy who went to playgroup at his local Church.  He used to do lots of activities there, painting, sticking, bead threading. . . . even planting.

One day in the wintertime he brought a polystyrene cup home from his playgroup with a label saying 'with love'.  The cup was half filled with soil and he told his Mummy to leave it until Spring when she would see what he had planted.

Come the springtime a small shoot appeared and over the next few weeks it grew into a very pretty flower.  The little boy insisted that it stayed in the cup and so it did. . . . every year small leaves of green and white appeared above the surface of the soil followed by a purple flower.  Every year the Mother smiled to herself as she thought of the little boy.

Eventually the soil and small flower was planted into the garden of the house where they lived.  The Mother told no-one but every springtime the little flower popped its head out of the soil and warmed the Mother's heart.

The little corm has multiplied and now there are three flowers popping up to tell me that Spring will be here soon . . . . 

There are even more signs in the garden now, the clematis and other climbers will need to be pruned back soon.  Their green shoots belie the fact that it is soooo cold still.

The Auriculas are freshening up, their tiny buds will soon start to appear and the Sambucus Nigra, Black Lace, also feels that Spring is coming as it puts it small maroon shoots into the sunshine.

Such an exciting time of the year, each day brings hew hopes and expectations.