Country mouse on spring growth

Several weeks ago, I had a serious, credit-crunch-busting haircut that left my hair so short I could have joined the Marines. What has became known in the Hedges household as ‘the worst haircut ever’ has now sprouted in every direction. It’s no longer a head of hair, but chaos theory in practice.

Everything else is sprouting, too. After weeks of our latching onto tokens of spring, such as snowdrops, Nature is now changing her outfit every day, adding leaves, blossom and tapestries of flowers as if on a whim. When the Sun finally entered the northern hemisphere last Saturday, seemingly on command, the countryside exploded into life.

This weekend, the clocks change, a thrilling moment for all commuters like me, who will, once more, get to see where they live each evening. In many ways, it’s the best time of the year May and September may be more beautiful, but nothing compares to the current sense of hope and renewal. While listening to the slow hum of lawnmowers, the cooing of pigeons and the chatter of courting sparrows, it was almost possible to forget about the credit crunch and my haircut.