First day of Spring

It has been a lovely, warm, sunny, blue-sky spring day – the first of the new season. Spring brings its own promises and surprises this year. With such an unseasonably warm and dry August, late winter got itself into a muddle and those who thought spring had begun much earlier could be excused.

Still, despite the cherry blossoms and daffodils and other bulbs making a show these last two weeks, I was lulled into thinking that the preternaturally warm twilight between winter and spring would last a while before spring officially burst on us. In fact, there was a while when I believed that we would have to rewrite South-eastern Australia's four-season calendar to account for climate change. Admittedly, it was a strange twilight, as the unseasonable warmth and sunshine barely compensated for the virulent flus and colds so many of us suffered through. It was as though winter refused to give up without a fight.

I wasn't the only one caught by surprise this year as the horse and racing industries also caught a late winter cold and the rest of the country sneezed. Flocks of birds suddenly thought they'd have a chance of surviving this year without being slaughtered for their feathers, which are used to adorn the ridiculous hats that women so love to wear to horse races and weddings, that other spring feature. I don't know who makes more money this season, bookies or milliners. Or is it fashion designers?

But, if the horse flu doesn't shake its hold it will be the vets who'll be upgrading their Jags, Bemers and Mercs – or is that Land Rovers? – sooner this year. Oh, and buying that second pair of Burberry gumboots, despite there not being a drop of rain in sight for weeks to come. Anything for a tax right-off, right?

[Image is of my neighbour's plum blossoms today, by me (cc) ]