Today was the first day of Real Spring. We have meteorological Spring – that starts on 1st March – and we have Traditional Spring, which starts on 20th March this year. Neither of them are particularly realistic as they can both be quite dismal days, and it’s hard to feel springlike on a dreary day. No, you need Real Spring, which is the first day that feels like Spring. It has been getting closer, but today was the first day I really felt spring had arrived.
It was a lovely morning with a slight nip in the air, and a very light frost. There was just a touch of colour in the sky as I headed off for a blood test, and my feelings of wellbeing were enhanced by the lack of traffic – a lovely lockdown bonus. The sunrise was fading as I went to hospital, and by the time I returned home the sky was bright blue and cloudless.
The sun, hitting the silver birches, produced a magical effect, further enhanced by a meeting of magpies. There were only a dozen of them, a long way from some of the groups I’ve seen at this time of year, but it’s nice to see that breeding is on the agenda.
As I turned into the hospital entrance, the area under the trees was alive with snowdrops and small tete a tete daffodils.
In the car park a dunnock was singing its heart out, though, now I know more about its personal habits I’m not sure this is a bird to use as a celebration of spring.
There was no queue for the blood test, but that was the last good thing to happen for a while, as they managed to hit a nerve when taking the test samples (I was in for a double lot today) and that wasn’t fun. First, my arm hurt, then it started to go numb. The hand, which I’d ben told to clench, began to open. It took about twenty minutes to recover, so it wasn’t bad, but it’s still a bit sore sixteen hours later and there’s quite a lot of bruising. Normally I say good things about Phlebotomy at City Hospital, but this was not one of their better days.
A pity that the nerve hit spoiled what otherwise would have been a first class day.
I now have a bruise the size of a half crown, in a slightly worrying mix of blue and yellow. For American readers that is slightly larger than a Kennedy half dollar, and for younger readers, that is 12 1/2 p in old money, which is a useless size comparison.
That is a big bruise. Half a crown was a serious coin.
Yes, it was. Sadly, some of my readers are too young to appreciate the scale of the bruise. 🙂
Sorry about your arm! Real spring is still just a happy dream in Maine, but how lovely it was to read about yours.
But when you have hummingbirds it will be my turn to dream…
I will do my best to get a good picture for you!
Thank you. 🙂
Apart from the arm this is a joyful post
ven the arm didn’t take the smile off my face. 🙂 for long. 🙂
I’ve had both good and not so good phlebotomists. I can sympathize. Mostly, the experience has been good. 🙂
I am pleased Real Spring has made an appearance in your area. It’s been cool and rainy here today.
Mostly, the Phlebotomists at the hospital are brilliant. This was just unfortunate, and she probably thought the same about my difficult veins. 🙂