the promise of spring

September brings with it an anxiousness to be done with winter, to put behind us the dark and cold and dormant. There is a looking forward to light and warmth and growth. Of late there is a glimmer of hope - the daylight hours are increasing, there is some warmth in the sun and nature is responding with a flurry of blossom and new growth. There is a collective sigh of pleasure as we contemplate what is almost here. And there is a collective flurry of activity in backyards and gardens as we keep step with the changing season.

We have been busy in my mother's garden -  weeding and pruning, fertilising and mulching, preparing vegetable beds and planting seedlings.

There are broad beans flowering, fruit trees in blossom, raspberry canes with new green shoots. There are old carrots to be dug over, spinach and celery to be picked and herbs that have come back to life. Potatoes have been planted, peas and beans too. There are plans for carrots, lettuce and rocket. And of course no summer garden is complete without tomatoes and basil. And that's just for a start, they'll be more along the way.

Spring is planning and preparing, the promise of a harvest yet to come...