Things that are happening now that it's spring.


We have been really lucking out in the weather department for the past few days. After weeks of struggling to make it out of the 40s (Fahrenheit), the temperatures finally skyrocketed to spring-worthy numbers and the sun came out in full force. I swear, it got so warm at some points this week that I was genuinely concerned about the fact that I hadn't packed sunscreen in my work bag. I tend to spend a lot of my work day trekking the streets of London, so being unprepared for the weather is never good, but one especially forgets how strong the sun can actually be in the city.

In Hertford people have just been lapping it up. Congregating in parks, strolling by the river, spending hours attending to their gardens and allotments - not to mention, making impulse purchases of gardening supplies in bulk with which to decorate said outdoor spaces. Last weekend, one of our friends purchased (from Poundstretcher) a stand-alone, walk-in greenhouse, complete with flexible, plastic walls and shelves, and a zip-up door. Needless to say, our friend's cohabitant was more than a little concerned about how the greenhouse would fit into their modest garden space, and was less than pleased with any and all comments made (jokingly or not) about stapling it to the back door and calling it the "conservatory." Needless to say, none of her protests were able to deter him from making the purchase and within two hours of our parting, nicely instagrammed photos of our friend lounging in the newly erected greenhouse had appeared on my newsfeed.

One of the best parts of the arrival of the spring weather, as always, has been all of the baby animals on show around the town. Frogs have been flocking to our garden pond for the past few weeks and now there are thousands of tadpoles to show for it. In her usual effort to maximize the survival rate of new frogs, the lady of the house removed much of the spawn from the pond and separated it into various containers. This means that we now have tons of tadpoles, everywhere. Tadpoles in buckets, tadpoles in fish bowls, tadpoles in aquariums and planters. Tadpoles in the pond and on the back patio, in the lobby (where the laundry machine is) and even on the kitchen table, for a while. Everywhere you go you can hear the little popping noises made by their surfacing for air.

And the signs of new life do not stop at 37d. Conveniently located just off of a walkway near the canal, perfectly placed for both safety and viewing, a pair of swans have made an absolutely stunning nest. They have been sitting on it for weeks and while there are no signs of hatching just yet, you can bet the whole town will be abuzz when it begins. As it is, the castle waters have already been graced by a lovely little family of ducks - complete with a handful of perfect, fluffy ducklings (pictured above). You can just imagine my glee on the morning that I stumbled upon them as I made my way to the train station. Without thinking I audibly and loudly squealed "awwwwwwww, that is so cute" and then looked up to see a man walking toward me. He had probably been hoping to enjoy a quiet, early morning walk. Oh well.

Also, and completely unrelated, I accidentally pocket-texted this photo to my boss on my way to the gym yesterday. Only slightly inappropriate. It probably could've been worse.

Love.


Comments

Popular Posts