It’s officially spring! Finally the long dark days of winter are gone and now we can start to enjoy the sunshine and warmer weather. Spring is my favourite time of year, so I wanted to share some of the reasons why I think spring is the best season.
- Warmer weather
With the arrival of spring we can all start to appreciate the warmer, sunnier days. Not only does the sunshine have such a huge impact on mood, but it also makes going out for a walk more enjoyable, especially if you feel like you’re getting a slight tan at the same time! I love the change in weather because even when I’m stuck inside revising for exams, I can look outside and see a blue sky instead of grey stormy clouds all the time. It’s also a great time to work outside, whehter you’re reading a book for uni or doing some yoga in the sunshine, a little bit of fresh air makes all the difference.
- The pretty and the fluffy
I think another huge perk of spring is the natural world around us. Daffodils take over, trees start to blossom, and other flowers start to peak out of the ground, filling our streets and gardens with colour. It truly is the little things that make a huge difference to our days, and just having a bunch of daffodils sitting in my kitchen to look at as I write this has put a simile on my face. We can’t forget the new spring animals that arrive at this time of year too. Just driving past a field filled with lambs makes my day because they are just so cute and fluffy! I can’t wait to be able to go back to farms and see all the baby animals, from the lambs, to the piglets and calves, they’re all just so adorable!
- Change of season = change of clothes
This is another of my favourite things about spring, I can change out of the thick jumpers and wear a summer dress with an denim jacket, and swap my winter boots for shiny white trainers. The bliss of changing up your wardrobe to fit with changing seasons is honestly just a great excuse to go shopping for some new outfits. When I start to think about adding to my wardrobe with some new staples, I always raid TKMaxx, Mango, Zara and H&M to find a couple of pieces to add and keep for years to come. Another great thing about spring outfits, is they can be adapted to be worn in summer too.
- Foodie wonders
Each season brings a new selection of seasonal food. For March, start looking for Bramley apples (perfect for a crumble), chicory (amazing in salads) and rhubarb which has the best colour and is full of nutrients. In April look out for purple sprouting broccoli which you can roast in the oven with some sea salt and oil and use as a side to your roast, or eat as a snack with tahini. Also look out for radishes, watercress, asparagus, new potatoes and cauliflowers. With the new ingredients in season, I like to try and find recipes to make the most of what is available at this time of year. I always use the BBC Good Food, Jamie Oliver and Delicious websites for inspiration.
- Easter
Even if Easter isn’t secular, chocolate is! I love Easter because it’s much less stressful than Christmas, but also you don’t need an excuse to eat as much chocolate as you want. At home, we decorate some branches to make an ‘Easter tree’ and make fun treats like all-spice cookies and coconut nests filled with mini eggs (which are so much better than Creme Eggs!) Why not get creative this Easter and make some hot-cross buns, bunny shaped biscuits or even a Simnel cake? If getting creative in the kitchen isn’t your thing, at least you have more time to relax with a big bowl of chocolate!