Welcome Back at Last

I love this time of the year. The sun keeps shining and the snow is melting. Yes, at these latitudes we still have snow at this time. The shops keep filling up with colorful clothes, the city decorates the centre with daffodils and the bars can't wait to open up their beer gardens again for the summer. The air is full of anticipation. People start waking up from their hibernation, open their eyes and start looking around. Wow, when did this happen? Summer is on its way!

For me every spring holds a new awakening. I live in phases according to the season. In the fall and winter I tend to wear dark clothes and the further towards the summer we go, I start choosing brighter colours. I can't wait for it to get warmer, so that I can wear whatever new, colorful shoes, top, dress or skirt I've found in the new spring collection of my favourite shops. At some point I get the urge to grow my very own garden, with herbs, tomatoes and flowers. I get some seeds and soil and feel joyful everytime I see that something new has started growing. The greatest prize is to get to eat your own tomatoes and make mojitos out of your own mint. Another thing I look forward is when my favourite café opens up its courtyard patio. It is fantastic to sit there with a blanket, a cup of tea and a book on a beautiful, sunny spring day. It gets really warm because it is in the courtyard, so the wind doesn't bother you.

But the best thing about moving towards summer is watching nature come back to life. Seeing the brave stalks of grass pushing through the cold ground and the little leaf buds crawling out of their warm nests just makes you want to jump of joy! What I especially miss about living on the countryside are the spring streams that babble through the trenches. In the countryside it is impossible to miss the arrival of summer. It is so loud, like it wants to yell out: look at me, I'm here again!

The downside are the allergies. A running nose and itchy, swollen eyes make it slightly hard to enjoy the awaking nature, the singing birds and the warm sunshine. But if that's the prize I have to pay for it, I gladly (well, at least willingly) take it.