Full of the joys of spring

My answer to the question of finding repeatable moments of joy is clear: make the most of moments of beauty.

Knowing there will be a sunny morning ahead, last night I went to bed early (around 10pm), woke up early today (before 6am), caught the sun rising over the forest next door, fed cats, made coffee - and set off for a short walk. These sunny-morning, empty-stomach short walks are marvellous for the soul. I feel tip-top.

The orchards are starting to come into blossom. Cherries first, then the apples. And not all the apples at the same time. Below: the frosts of the weekend before last seem not to have harmed the blossom on this old-school orchard (no irrigation poles, no anti-hailstone netting), one of the first to come into flower.

Below: accompanying me on my walk this morning was Czester; here is is up a tree. Note his anti-tick collar. I bought one for each of my six cats – they are totally effective. Ticks steer clear.

Below: forget-me-nots (Myosotis arvensis) are just starting to flower on the floor of my orchard.. The Polish word for them, niezapominajki, literally means the same, though without the '-me-'. They will come into maximum profusion over the coming fortnight. More to follow over the next few weeks.

Below: back at home, Czester follows me in and immediately wants more of the outdoors. Here he is at my (open) kitchen window.

Below: the view from the end of my garden across into the neighbouring orchard.

The end of the frosts means it's time to swap the winter tyres for summer ones. The latter lose adhesion below +6°C; the former are not particularly robust in the heat. So I walk the 500m down the lane to the car workshop where I've also had oil and filters changed and the cracked rear number-plate holder replaced. Below: on my way to the workshop (the Micra is just about visible to the left in the distance), my attention is caught by the grass verge bright with dandelions.

Below: quintessential Jakubowizna I. A glorious spring day, the sun approaching its zenith.

Below: quintessential Jakubowizna II. A hundred or so paces further on up the lane.

Country life suits me perfectly. Its pace is dictated by the changing seasons; there's no such thing as a generic spring, each one has a slightly different timing, each one transitions a little differently out of winter and then into summer. I have become attuned to those little differences, the subtleties. Change happens from day to day, with different plants flowering at different times. 

It strikes me that I could not move back to town! I'd rather live in the country and go into town whenever I want than to live in town and go to the country whenever I want. Neither city nor suburb, green acres is the place for me. Life on my own terms, with my cats anchoring me in our place.

Surrounded by birdlife and wild animals, I have an awareness of sharing a planet with wild creatures that don't depend on humans. I ponder that word 'creatures', and consider whether 'evoluents' wouldn't be more in keeping with our scientific paradigm.

This time last year:
From Sage to Mage

This time five years ago:
Greylag geese find a home in Jeziorki

This time six years ago:
Aviation over lockdown Jeziorki

This time seven years ago:
Easter in Ealing

This time ten years ago:
WiFi works on Polish train shock

This time 11 years ago:
My dream camera, just around the corner

This time 13 years ago:
Longer, lighter lens

This time 14 years ago:
New engine on the coal train 

This time 15 years ago
High time to leave the car at home

This time 16 years ago:
The answer to urban commuting

This time 19 years ago:
Far away across the fields