A tiny reminder that spring is on its way.

We arrived in France, ready to move into Domaine des Rochers on 17th January 2002, almost exactly 24 years ago. Like today, the weather was bitterly cold, which surprised us, and we found a thick layer of ice on the swimming pool. Until that day, neither of us had ever spent too many years in one spot, having made homes in different countries and locations. To have spent so long in this one place has been a special privilege. Like an old friend, one gets to know the landscape well; the people and animals who inhabit it; and the plants that grow here. Just as Shakespeare knew " a bank where the wild thyme grows," we too know where exactly to find certain plants growing at different times of the year. Yesterday, on the 3rd January, I spotted the very first of our year. There is a ditch that runs along by the side of the road in St Etienne en Haut, close to the church. It is here that I always look, for I know that just after Christmas, this tiny flower will always be there. It is the gentle violet. For sure I know that before too long, violets will be growing along the edge of forest paths, and will grow more numerous throughout the early months of spring. But it is in this spot that I always search for the very first ones to appear, and I am never disappointed. I can't tell you why . It is just an ordinary ditch, but to me its very special.