Though it’s overcast and there’s a bracing dampness in the air this morning, the Spring Equinox is surely a time to feel hopeful and optimistic about the days ahead. It’s a few days since we lit our stove in the evening and we notice the dawn chorus outside our bedroom window is getting more enthusiastic (and earlier!)

Mothers Day was last weekend and beautifully scented flowers arrived with a box of chocolates for me from Edward. I looked out one of my Grandma’s tablecloths, inherited from my Mum to put on the table when Bettine came to tea.

Yes, of course there was pavlova!

There is a real feeling of Spring in the air, then, even if we’re lacking the sunshine right now. People are beginning to talk about plans for later in the year, to make restaurant and holiday bookings and to think about easing back into some kind of normal life again.

It’s been a long time.

A year ago this weekend we were just getting used to a new kind of routine. Had we but known that we’d still be at home all these months later, we might have approached it with a different mindset. Thankfully we have a rather better understanding of the situation than we did then and most important of all, we have access to the vaccine! There really is light at the end of this - very long - tunnel.

We hope.

In spite of the definite signs of Spring in the garden, however, I’m still wary. We’ve been at this stage before with hair appointments made and dates in the diary, only to see it all crumble again a few weeks later. We’ll be sensible and take care, hoping that everyone else will do the same, because we have one very important date in our diaries.

A particular sweetly scented corner of the garden makes me think especially of that. The Daphne is coming into flower and before long, the lily of the valley will be there too.

Wedding season.

This week I’ve been making a noise as I’ve worked on the slices of wood I obtained from the sawmill last November, sanding the surfaces and preparing them for their intended purpose as wedding cake stands.

I’ve been testing the cake recipe too, trying out the full size tins, variations on the flavour and combinations of lemon curd, buttercream and white chocolate ganache. The most important people in the wedding party - the bride and her mum - have their dresses and fingers crossed, the rest of us will swing into purposeful action when “non-essential shops” open on April 12th when we will have no problem finding exactly what we are looking for.

Was there ever a better time for optimism?