Welcome to my Perching Post.

The Arrival of Spring

In the northern hemisphere many people have found that the long drawn out winter has seemed endless. The 21st March brings the spring equinox, when the length of the daylight equals the length of the nightlight. There is a noticeable shift in the quality of the light, too.

A grey day hanging over from a long winter

The flat grey days of winter with occasional brilliant contrasting shafts of bright light when the sun does shine give way to a more intense sunlight with a real feeling of warmth.

Splashes of bright and dazzling sun at last

The wind, when it blows, can still be harsh; sleet showers can catch us unawares but more often than not the rain falls more gently, more softly. The birds are singing; their joyful songs can be heard more and more early in the morning, and they continue late into the evening.

Joyful scents, colours and textures of spring

Life is just bursting to get going again after the slack time of winter when all has seemed to be asleep. Out in the garden you can sense the change. One garden writer has said, ‘This is the real thing and by the end of March any sane person is in a state of intoxication, falling in love again with this strange world.’

And indeed it really is a time to get out into the open, to notice the changes the light and the weather undergo; to relish the scent of the spring air, the heady perfume from cut grass, pine resin, sudden floral outbursts from daffodils, hyacinths, violets and other wonderful spring flowers.

‘There is no time like spring, when life’s alive in everything’

Jigsaw Puzzles

If looking out of the window it has looked too cold and uninviting for venturing outside for very long why not indulge in the quiet and absorbing pastime of a jigsaw puzzle?

*Watching the weather on a rainy, cheerless day*

From an early age these delightful puzzles can bring hours of calm and content. Building up an image that reveals itself piece by piece is undemanding, tantalising and hugely satisfying. The quiet clatter as the pieces tumble out of the box creates a sense of anticipation and adventure. The initial sorting of the pieces brings hints of what is to come.

*A jumbled, tumbled pile of pieces. What will they reveal?*

After you’ve turned all the pieces so they’re face up do you just get stuck in? Or do you like to get all the edge pieces gathered together and then complete the outline of the puzzle? (That’s something that can be so frustrating if you find yourself short of a couple of pieces that prevent you from finishing the edge.)

Jigsaw puzzles come in all shapes and sizes. They can be educational or just fun – and very often, both! I recently completed a puzzle that depicted a collage of pre-Raphaelite arts of work. Identifying them and looking up the story behind each picture was a joy in itself. Now I can’t wait to start the next one!

*Discovering new delights with a jigsaw puzzle*

So, for a soothing, peaceful way to pass time when outdoor activities feel less inviting, turn to the trusty jigsaw puzzle – and create yourself a picture.

The Apple of my Eye

A girl reaches along a branch to pick an apple — *Reaching out to pick an apple*

I will give my love an apple without any core;
I will give my love a house without any door;
I will give my love a palace wherein he may be
And he may unlock it without any key.
My head is the apple without any core;
My mind is the house without any door;
My heart is the palace wherein he may be
And he may unlock it without any key.

– words from a traditional English folk song. Now is peak apple season and the abundance of homegrown apples is welcome as autumn comes into its own, days grow shorter and cooler and winter peeps around the corner.

A box of red apples fresh from the orchard — *Apple bounty – ripened to perfection*

This is the time of year to try out a different apple from the many that are available. Did you know that there are over 7500 known apple varieties, 2500 of which were developed in the UK?

The names of apples alone create a wonderful litany – Greensleeves, Egremont Russet, Fiesta, Keswick Codlin, Lord Lambourne, Worcester Pearmain. And that’s just the ‘eaters’ or dessert apples! Add in cooking apples and cider apples and you get Bramleys Seedlings, Allington Pippin and the delightfully-named Brown Snout and Crimson King.

Ladder against apple tree for collecting ripe fruit — *An abundant harvest of apples*

It’s often said that, ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away’ and apples have long been valued for their healing properties. As early as 8000BC apples were cultivated in the Nile, Tigris and Indus river valleys.

The Latin name for an apple is malum which also means ‘evil.’ This is believed to be the reason that the biblical Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden was an apple tree. An apple in the hand of Eve when she tempts Adam suggests mischief and evil, whereas when pictured in the hand of Christ, the apple symbolizes the fruit of life and salvation.

Apples, particularly their skins, are an excellent source of antioxidants, which are believed to prevent damage to cells and tissues and help defend the body from cancer, cardiovascular disease, and even possibly Alzheimer’s disease. It is thought that the flavonoids in apples help protect against allergens and viral infections and improve lung function.

Apples store well with care and provide a good source of fresh fruit when the luxuriant salad and vegetable crops of summer months have ceased. Legend has it that magicians such as Merlin and Talesin were said to carry a silver bough taken from the apple tree and hung with bells and ripened fruits. This allowed them to cross between worlds and times. The name ‘Avalon’ is believed to come from an old Irish word meaning ‘the place of apples.’

So relish this wonderful season of apples and enjoy the fact that they really can do you good!

A your lad walks along munching an apple — *Small boy enjoying the health-giving delights of a crunchy apple*