Spring is in the air!

A few weeks ago, I was wondering if spring could actually have sprung early this year. I was hopeful, but realistically, there was still a fair chance that winter would be back with a vengeance. After all, Mother Nature has a funny sense of humour.

But it didn't. No vengeance whatsoever. Spring is here, and it's here to stay. I'm not talking about this spring:

That obviously wasn't there to stay. It came off quite suddenly. I wasn't joking when I was writing about my previous car and wondered 'where did that spring come from?' It's not as serious as it looks, it's just a supporting spring to make operating the clutch easier. The car ran and (according to my neighbour who spotted it in town the other day) is still running fine without it.

The spring I'm talking about is the one responsible for what I call 'the haze'. In the earliest stage of spring, there's an abundance of flowers: the daffodils, the snowbells, the tulips... But for me spring really starts when the first leaves are showing themselves in the most beautiful shade of green imaginable.

Looking at some of the trees, you'd think you're still in the middle of winter:

But upon closer inspection of other trees, you can see that most of them are already sprouting new leaves:

These early leaves create a green haze on the forest. One day you think you might be imagining seeing shimmer of green, but the next day it's ever so slightly more obvious and then one day there's no denying: that is most definitely foliage!

Add a bit of sunshine to that, as well as awakening wildlife and there you are: perfect spring!