Spring has Sprung –
& if you can’t spring, WALK!
Heralded in by waves of happily bobbing trumpets,
yellow faces dancing across our grounds & the surrounding countryside!
One of my favourite poems; perhaps our best known flower-focused poems:
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the Milky Way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.The waves beside them danced, but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:For oft, when on my couch I lie
William Wordsworth
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.
A reminder of the strength & solace we can find in nature.
Written in 1804, it is as valid today as it ever was: perhaps more so.
In our world of materialism and stress, the grounding, reassuring nature of nature is all too easily forgotten.
‘Spending time in green space or bringing nature into your everyday life
can benefit both your mental and physical wellbeing…
growing food or flowers, exercising outdoors or being around animals
can have lots of positive effects.
Mind.org.uk
local 7m circular exploring fields & woodlands, a rugged ‘tuff mudder’ challenge course, & pristine stud farm –
Free on street parking at the start at Bare Green, a little hamlet under a 10 minute drive up the A24. Muddy when wet, and with several styles, this is a fantastic walk – with points of interest walked through ranging from the Holmbush Estate extensive Tough Mudder course to pristine stud farms, ancient woodlands and open fields. Mud will be deep in places in winter – not just on the Tough Mudder course(!)
This is a beautiful walk for really appreciating nature in Spring, when the woodlands will be carpeted with the brilliant blue of English Bluebells, aromatic wild garlic will fill the air with it’s pungency, and the shrill sounds of nesting birds fills the air!
For the full route on Komoot, from which you can print out directions or listen live to directions as you progress, see here.
Holmbush Estate: the calmer fringes of the Tough Mudder course offer woodland walks.
And the reality of the course –
for those who can spring, splash and splosh!
Image from the Tough Mudder website:
The Oaks 
Welcome back Emma, your blog is always a pleasure to read and view your images. Flowers in spring are so beautiful.
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Thank you so Much Suzanne. Yes – roll on Spring and all it’s colours!
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How lovely to see you again Emma. Daffs all around here too and don’t they make you feel so much happier. Spring would not be spring without those cheerful yellow flowers.
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Thank you Jude and yes, you are so right – snowdrops and primroses are lovely too, but daffodils really do shout and dance for joy!
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Well, they look to be enjoying it, Emma. Takes all sorts, doesn’t it? Good to catch up with you and the daffs.
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Thank you Jo 🙂
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So many wonderful Daffodils, one of my favourite flowers. I am glad you have been busy. I bet your place looks a treat for yourself and guests. Have you had many?
Lovely to see you again 🙂
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🙏🏼 Thank you! It is lovely to see the snowdrops, daffodils, primroses and blossom… yes we have had lovely guests – looking forward to welcoming more holiday visitors and even campers in the summer! Good to have a snapshot of your warmer climes and more exotic wildlife! 👍🙂🌻
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Welcome back with this beautiful post. May you have a good season
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Thanks, Derrick – lovely to see your Spring Garden blooming!
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Hello stranger! I’ve missed your posts. But you – and your daffodils – have made an excellent return today. I shan’t be doing the Tough Mudder though. The walk is much more my style.
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Thanks Margaret – winter is always such a busy time (as is Spring, Summer and Autumn!!). Lovely to hear from you – and I’m right with you about that; I’m sure we see more if not splatted with mud!!
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