Whoever looks outside the window today, or even, god forbid, leaves the front door, will probably be met by an icy wind, an oppressive grey sky and the feeling of being stuck in a drawn out winter. It may seem as if the next ice age is just as sure to hit this world as the upteenth Ice Age movie, but don’t panic just yet. It seems as though the few days of respite we were given last week when we woke up to blue skys and glorious sunshine were not only a saviour for our vitamin D deprived bodies. When on a walk in Wimbledon’s Cannizaro Park I was pleasantly surprised to see the first sign of spring had indeed made an appearance: the crocuses have managed to pop their heads through the mud drenched soil.
It made me wonder when I had first witnessed the emergence of these lovely spring buds in previous years, and whether the weather had been just this chilling then. According to the Met Office, the temperatures this year so far have been 0.2°C lower than the UK average, there has been 20% more rainfall than in previous years and we have enjoyed considerably less sun. So, looking at these statistics, it doesn’t look as if we have had the greatest of British winters. The future doesn’t look much brighter either, with more cloudy days on the way for the next couple of weeks.
But do not despair. Head down to Cannizaro Park or Wimbledon Common to watch the spring flowers break through the cold ground to signal the nearby arrival of spring. Remember that in a month’s time, we’ll all be turning our clocks forward and then lovely long summer evenings spent in the garden or your local park, will be slowly edging closer. For now though, simply enjoy the gradually increasing lengths of our days as the winter slowly, but surely, leaves us.
