A very welcome May!

Tell me, if you've been walking along the streets over the past few days, have you noticed anything different?
Have you been struck by the smiling faces . . . the looks of relief .  . the absence of thick, winter coats?

Isn't it wonderful!  Could it really be Spring . . . a long overdue Spring?

There's no denying that the leaden skies of a protracted winter do serious damage to our spirits.
But, dare I say it, May seems intent on putting things right . . . we can sit back, take a deep breath, relax and start smiling.

Do you want to see what it is in residential London that's given us back a sense of well-being?
Then what about sharing some photos.

Let's wander down some quiet streets, past houses that are normally unassuming and discreet.

Do you see what I mean?
May has provoked them into casting aside any traces of restraint . . .  instead they're positively flamboyant.

Magnolia, camellia and cherry blossom . . . laden branches stretching upwards, their colours outlined against a brilliant blue sky  . . . a jubilant celebration of Spring.

Doesn't it warm your heart just to look at them?

As for the gardens . . . only a few days ago they were chilled by the frost and totally lacking in colour.

Now . .  . look at the difference!
Every patch of earth is a production-line of activity, the air is enlivened with bees and birdsong.

Take our communal garden where some of this year's plants are displaying a strong will of their own!
Have you come across more resourceful, pioneering forget-me-nots?

Not content with keeping to the limits of their flower-beds, they've widened their territory by establishing outposts of empire along the edge of the path.

When is a weed not a weed . . . ?  When it's a self-seeded, unforgetable forget-me-not!

And here's an exuberant shrub you mustn't miss.
Isn't it spectacular?
In rural Kent it used to be known as 'Bachelor's Buttons' . . . surely the perfect golden bloom for a May Day button-hole?

No . . . you don't need Maypoles or Morris Dancers to get the full force of May's message.

However, there's another and more personal reason why this particular month of May has raised my spirits . . . not to mention my pride.

Why?
See for yourself . . .  Chloe. . . .  has been chosen as Queen of the May for this year's Bengal Cat Club Calendar.

Between you and me, I've a sneaking suspicion that, in our home at least, May will continue to reign undisturbed for the rest of 2013!