A Spring Tonic

 

Tonic: a medicinal substance taken to give a feeling of vigor or well-being.

In spite of the continuing cooler-than-normal temperatures, spring is bursting out in gardens and parks across town. All the plants are in a mad dash to leaf and bloom and grow wildly. In January it was the lonely hellebores on display, followed by daffodils, cherry blossoms, and croci. Now it's a wealth of tulips, apple blossom, bluebells, daisies, and rhododendrons. The sight of all this beauty is a tonic in itself, and hardly medicinal. 

The birds are not very pleased with us lately. We are using up a bag of mixed bird seed given to us by someone who no longer needed it, and it doesn't appear to be as tasty as the one we usually put out. The sparrows continue to come, but not the finches or chickadees. If you'd like to put the word out to the flocks, the less-delicious birdseed is finished now, and tomorrow there will be the usual delectable fare. 

In days gone by, rhubarb was a favourite spring tonic, good for the blood and the digestion according to Victorian folklore. I can imagine how delicious fresh food would be after a winter of preserved vegetables and stodgy fare. I doubt that there is much medicinal benefit in a Rhubarb Streusel Muffin, other than being so satisfying and delicious - surely good for emotional health, if nothing else. One tasted very good with my morning tea. 

When I was a child, my mother would say, "Blue and green should never be seen, except in a washing machine." It wasn't considered fashionable to wear those two colours. I think they go together perfectly, as illustrated above with pale green hellebores, dark green leaves, and stems of bright bluebells. Alas, they are not the famed English Bluebells, but the Spanish variety that lacks scent. They are still pretty, and all we've got here, so I enjoy them fully. 

Spring itself is a tonic, full of life and colour. Now, if only the temperatures would warm up a little.

A number of readers have mentioned that they are unable to leave comments on my blog. I changed the comment format once again - this time to a pop-up box - and I'd love to know if that's better for anyone. I know of one blogger for whom it worked. 

I hope your weekend acts like a tonic to perk you up, whether you live in the northern half of the globe where spring is arriving, or in the southern half where autumn is making an appearance.