In my mind, May is the month for bluebells. I know I saw some in April, though, but we'll ignore them.
May. May is when you see bluebells. Always has been, always will be. And nothing you say will make me believe otherwise. So there.
But anyway.
I like bluebells. There's a wood up from my parents, on the other side of the valley, with a big clearing in the middle. At this time of year, it's filled with bluebells. From afar, I always think it looks like there's smoke rising.
I was delighted, the spring after we moved to Wales, to find bluebells already established in our garden. They seem to be all over the place, and I have great fun each spring with the Bluebell Hunt, finding them when we're out and about.
Bluebells are a sign of impending summer. Of sunshine and long days. Of time to rest and relax and read for hours. Of woodland walks and picnics in shady glades. Of the end of term and the Island before results. And they're a pretty blue colour. Usually. They can also be white, I'm told, and I'm fairly sure I've seen some. At least, I've seen some white bell-shaped flowers in amongst the definitely bluebells.
I haven't quite reached the Island, not just yet. My last deadline is the end of the week, but I'm in the editing stage of essay-writing, which is comforting. It's also the earliest I've reached this stage all year, which I think is impressive, given that we've had the Curse of the Essay this year: the negative side of Nature. Illness has accompanied the weeks leading up to each essay. Four out of four.
So far, (touch wood) the Curse this time has only afflicted Tiny. The last three have all been variations on a respiratory theme: Freshers' Flu, Covid, then a general cold. This time, though, it's been chickenpox, which we're hoping that I've had, and that neither of us adults will be so unlucky as to catch a second time. It is possible. Unlikely, but possible. Apparently a mild first attack lays one open for a later attack. Immunity wears off, or something.
The other initial concern was that it was not chickenpox, but Hand, Foot and Mouth. They have similar initial symptoms, you see, but chickenpox blisters fill with yellow goo and scab over. Hand, Foot and Mouth spots go white or grey, and then just vanish, hopefully never to be seen again. The doctor told us so, which was reassuring because the NHS website, with its list of potential rash causes, did not.
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