The spring sense of life renewed is tangible this year

Exmouth Journal columnist Emma Richardson (Image: Archant)

Ah, spring has sprung and there are signs of new life everywhere. From the shock of yellow daffodils and the subtler pop of purple and white crocus, to the sight of new-born lambs frolicking in the fields and newly vaccinated 50 years olds strolling with wild abandon on the beach.

Spring is always a time for hope as the clocks go back, the evenings get lighter, the weight of winter is lifted and we all finally look forward to some warmer days. Everything seems better when the sky’s blue and the sun is out!

This year that sense of hope for new beginnings is palpable- my Facebook and Instagram feed is bristling with said 50 something friends proudly brandishing their vaccination cards.

I too am in the vaccinated group through work and it felt good to be doing something positive to move our situation on.

The same can be said of the twice weekly testing we’re carrying out at home since the kids went back to school. To be honest, it’s nice to have something to write on the calendar each week although test day is less than popular with the three young people in our household.

But I think we have every reason to be positive- cautious but positive, that life might be able to continue in a less restricted way soon.

I don’t know about you but one of things that got me through the very first lockdown all those months ago was the nicer weather. With the prospect of some of that weather returning I’ve been looking out for other positive things we can do to re-start our lives again.

I’m not very green-fingered, but even I have had some success with growing plants from seed. I decided a couple of weeks ago to order some seed catalogues (let’s be honest, mostly for the pictures) to give me some ideas of things to grow and at around the same time I became aware of Wild Exmouth.

This is a Council led initiative to document areas in our community that are havens for wildlife.

The scheme also wants keen households to get involved in growing a small patch of wildflowers to encourage nature, and they are even giving away free packs of wildflower seeds to help achieve this.

If you visit the eastdevon.gov.uk website and search Wild Exmouth you can fill in your details to claim your seeds and take part. So my ‘to-do’ list is beginning to grow again; I have a wildflower patch to sow and I’m planning a trip to the garden centre (buying local-of course) for a stash of other seeds to get planting underway.

I’m looking forward to nurturing a bit of nature to life in the hope that by the time I have fully fledged flowers, we might be able to socialise with actual other people in the garden.

Like I say, spring has sprung, now if someone could just remind the sun that would be really helpful.