Unfurling...

I've been watching the fruit trees in the little orchard, seeing the buds swell & anticipating the appearance of greenery. Last year I didn't know what fruit was going to appear on which tree, at least this year I can identify them!

just click on the pics to enlarge & compare them

8th april

Those first glimpses of fresh green shoots brought with them a sense of excitement & optimism.... the different species all seemed to suddenly embark on a growth spurt at the same time, all bursting out of their buds within a day or two of each other!

15th april

Every time I stopped to look, the word that sprang to mind was 'unfurling'... it's an appropriate word for the way these little shoots progress, but I also had the sense that it is a word with a wider message... unfurling... life, people, personalities, theories, plans.... there is always something unfurling for us and around us...

19th april

Spring-time is naturally associated with growth, as nature takes on a different pace... it may come a little earlier or later from year to year, but it always comes. And once it does, it seems to be a race to burst out into full leaf & flower. Just look at how quickly these fruit trees have surged forward. Spring, the name is a call to action that all of nature hears... and it is a call to us too...

21st April

...To spring forward ourselves... to renew... to unfurl... to direct the forces within ourselves... to send forth those shoots.... and keep unfurling.... to blossom.... whatever it is that we need to do, or sort out... or what we want to do, or be, or aim for....

24th April

It seems that all the blossoms know that they must be in flower by Beltaine on the 1st of May, traditionally a time of celebrating the abundance & fertility of the earth. Most cultures have a celebration somewhere in their history to welcome the spring and ask for blessings & abundance in the coming year, usually involving garlands of flowers...

Whatever our beliefs, it is a perfect time to give thanks for the way things are unfurling... to set goals and intentions... to ask for blessings in our lives.... the fruits we put our energies into, the harvests we hope to make... 

Thank you to Jasmine, who is hosting a May Day celebration for The Festival of the Trees, so be sure to visit her at Nature's Whispers and join in the tree filled festivities.... I will try and remember to add some Mayday photographs of the fruit blossom!

Btw... the cherry blossoms are the ones I caught in the rain last year, which you can see here, if you like!

my world tuesday

why not show your world?

for more signs of the seasons...