March The First is a special date on the calendar and even though we should wait for the Spring Equinox before we get too excited about the English Spring, there are a few signs, this morning, that a page has turned in 2011.
Firstly, the weekend saw the first of my daffodils tentatively opening their petals to join the croci, primroses and a few members of the early flowering bulb vanguard – I shall give them a chance to put on more of a show before photographing them but they have definitely done the trick and I can feel the sap rising as I type.
More significantly maybe, if less romantic, March The First is the day, every year, when I water my cacti after their six month drought. I have always withdrawn watering from them on 1st October every year and left them dry until today when I try to emulate one of those desert rain storms drenching the cracked earth with my small green watering can. From now until the end of September, I will water the cacti once a week, every Thursday in fact. I hope that doesn’t sound too pedantic.
The other exciting sign of Spring growth is the sight of scaffolding poles going up across the road at what was Ron’s shop. The sudden blossoming of what has been a sadly derelict place will be just as thrilling as a whole host of golden daffodils.
