SPRUNG

Quote of the day: ‘Spring is nature’s way of saying, Let’s party!’ – Robin Williams

Simon’s offering: ‘Nine months isn’t really that long. It feels like a maternity.’

Starting to feel slightly bi-polar. To quote Dinah Washington, ‘What a difference a day makes’.

Thank you to so many people who messaged me in various ways after my wallow in the self-indulgent gloom of yesterday’s post.

Twenty four hours ago, I was submerged in a mire of everything negative. By 18h00 yesterday I was feeling gloomy and maniacal, everything was rattling, not only physically but emotionally too.

Today?

Well, I think it all starts with sleeping better as the terrifying drugs dissipate from my system. To sort of quote Ian Dury, almost-ish, ‘No sweats, no drugs,’ (no rock ‘n’ roll?). However, early this morning I was awoken well before the proverbial cracking, by a noise. Something I haven’t heard for about nine months and it surprised me.

Singing brightly and clearly, at the very top of its voice, perched in the bushes not 20 metres from our bedroom, a nightingale.

To quote Tom J, ‘It’s not unusual,’ round here but what is unusual, is that it’s still only March. Usually we expect to hear them mid-April onwards, through until the end of June. Apparently, they are still around after then, but they stop singing.

It gladdens my heart.

If nothing else, when I’m lying awake it will give me something to listen to. The warm sunshine over the last couple of days has obviously chivvied it along.

Meandering around the garden this morning, I chance upon another sign of Spring. OK, two asparagus spears are not going to make much of a difference as to whether we starve or not, but it is a very good sign indeed on this first official day of Spring.

Arnie update: generally he is doing ok. Happily, he is much jollier, appears to be moving better and is definitely resting more but still cannot hold himself back given half a chance. Hence the lead. I despair! We just have to wait.

So today, instead of winding on about gloomy stuff, you are being served a diet of jolly pictures which I like and hope you do too, including Arnold’s stupid ear.

To quote Monty Python (although if someone had said it to me yesterday I would have cheerfully and unashamedly punched them) ‘Always look on the bright side of life’.