Liani Smith – Spring In My Step?

 Read more from Liani.

I am one of the thousands that vow to do my Christmas shopping throughout the year to avoid the crazy rush.  But every year Christmas sneaks up to me and I am trapped in the craziness of it all.  Bear in mind that spring is a busy time here at Aztec Gardens.  If I don’t do my shopping before September it‘s not going to happen until the 22 of December.  All the anticipation and excitement of Christmas leaves me feeling tired, and wondering “what was that all about?”

I feel the same about spring. We drag ourselves through the winter as if walking through syrup.  It is slow and hard work, but the promise that spring will come keeps us alive.  What a feeling when the Willow trees start to green up, shy and hesitant at first.  A week later other trees copy the Willows and so spring unfurls slowly but surely.  It’s a spectacular process, every morning brings a surprise.  Lashings of pink Magnolias and Cherries competing for the best colour display.  The Japanese maples sure give them a run for their money.  Homo -Sapiens crawl out of their homes, start to dig, prepare, plant, and grow confident that winter is over.

SWISH! The wind appear from nowhere but blows with purpose, painting everything with petals. The Magnolias and Cherries look sad to have the curtains drawn so soon on their colour performance which they get to do only once a year.  Rain removes any petals that the wind didn’t deal with.  Late snow and low temperatures follow.  Homo- Sapiens becomes confused.  What an anticlimax spring really is.

Like the promise I make to be pre-prepared for Christmas, I also promise myself to approach the onset of spring with caution.  I will not give in to excitement; the weather in spring is atrocious; spring is totally overrated.   Be patient, look forward to summer instead, and forget about spring.  And so I tell myself every year.  Until next year when the Willows tease me with a green hue.  Not to mention the Daffodils, Tulips, Clematis, and the frilly Maples.

My advice is know when to get excited about spring. Spring is juicy, fresh and feeds the soul. Is that what attracts the Tui to the Kowhai? The taste of spring?