Thursday, March 19, 2009

Here Comes the Sun...

I never understood why people talk about the weather, and the plants that bloom with such passion until I moved to where the seasons change so markedly and the end of winter is truly the cause of celebration. We are certainly celebrating the return of the sun, and days that feel like they are 'normal' length after our short and dark winter days. Equinox is just a day away, and we are singing 'sun sun sun here it comes!' After Saturday there is officially supposed to be more than 12 hours of light a day.

Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter.
And now the smiles are returning to the faces!

This new moon, mother earth wakes up from her winter nap, and the world celebrates it with resurrection festivals and Easter by the full moon. We welcome Spring time, new beginnings, the sunrise, the direction of EAST, the time of Easter, the element of air, baby chicks, and of life energy bursting through the cracks and new things taking hold.

We are all new beginnings over here. It is wonderful to have had a baby in sync with the change of seasons, to have hibernated all huge tired and pregnant in the dark swedish winter, and to have a new baby when the springtime is coming and the sunshine starts filtering back in.

Ten Days Old
Sweet Smudgey Baby Kisses
The day I was in labor was the first day we saw flowers in our yard- the little white snow drops that are the first to show up. Now they are opening. And SwedeGirl transplanted a few yellow flowers from school that are known as winter evaders, or tricksters, or something like that. Little yellow flowers that are known to be amongst the first to emerge. And this lovely purple blossom
showed up in the yard today And we have crocuses popping up in our mossy yard. And other wild yellow buds are poking through.
Today was sunny and pretty warm and there is no question the return of spring is near.
Ah, sunlight!!!
We (ok, SwedeDaddy) cleared out the recycling that had been piling up today, and it felt like some purgative spring cleaning. I followed around with the baby in the sling in the sunshine looking at the yard. It's our first year in the house so we are not sure what will come back and what is dead and gone as far as the plants go. We are excited to see our bare branches come back alive soon! In the summer, you could not see our house from the road. So here is shot from today, still looking bare. But with the spring signs showing, there is promise for more green to come!
I am still in recovery from having a baby mode, but the infectious energy of spring is brewing in me. I am thinking of what life will bring this year, of projects I am looking forward to doing, and of the new type of life this sunny new season marks the begining of. I am not doing, just thinking. Just imagining the flowers and berries to come, and wondering what life in Sweden with two little girls will be like come summer.

7 comments:

Kangaroo said...

how beautiful!

Liquid Pen said...

So happy you have sunshine going on!
The perfection of spring and a new baby blooming.

Nic's NEWs said...

love the baby kiss photo! Gorgeous! You are a little further ahead than we are here in Stockholm but it is lovely to see the sun and hear the birds again

Anonymous said...

OH that baby kiss photo is priceless. I know what you mean about really knowing that appreciation for changing seasons. I was 24 when I experienced true season changes for the first time and it was AMAZING. I was so captivated by flowers and green - that is, on the few occasions we got out of the city and saw real nature in action. I'm so happy that you are experiencing that magic!

Heidi said...

Wonderful. Today is the first day of spring, so naturally I awoke to ... SNOW?? Too warm to stick, but we had a few hours of big, fat, wet snowflakes. I love me some snow, but I'm ready for spring, too. Luckily, the trees are budding and jonquils are popping up everywhere. I'm looking forward to the point where it's warm enough to wear flip-flops so I can go to Central Park with my beach chair and spend the afternoon reading and squishing my toes into the soft grass.

Andy said...

YAY!!! SPRING!!! We are very excited for all the little blooms and blossoms we find here, too! It's still very chilly, here, but every warm moment is treasured. :D

mellinifellini said...

Congrats on the new baby and your successful transition to the Swede life. John and I are headed to Australia in early May (the movers come to relieve us of our household goods tomorrow) - I'll be teaching at a university in Brisbane. Hugs to you and your family.
Mellini