Spring Equinox: What I’m Seeing, Hearing and Feeling

This Friday, 20th March, marks the Spring Equinox, the astronomical beginning of spring here in the Northern Hemisphere.

At this point in the year, both the northern and southern hemispheres receive almost equal hours of daylight. In the south, days begin to shorten, while here, they stretch longer with each passing evening. The word equinox comes from the Latin for “equal night” a small but meaningful moment of balance in the year.

In reality, many people feel spring begins on the 1st of March and they wouldn’t be wrong. Meteorologically, our seasons are divided neatly into three-month blocks, which makes sense on paper and to researchers who are crunching the data.

But for me, it’s the equinox that feels like the true turning point.

Three weeks on from the start of March, the difference is noticeable.

The landscape has shifted. There is a vibrancy now that simply wasn’t there before.

Spring arrives first as a feeling.

There is an energy in the ground, in the air, underfoot and overhead. A quiet unfurling. Nature is beginning to stir and stretch after months of stillness.

After a slower winter in which I have felt very low on energy and drive, I find myself rising earlier again, the dawn light and birdsong calling me.

The days feel fuller, lighter somehow.

And with that comes a sense of possibility. Long summer days begin to feel within reach even though, here in the UK, they are never guaranteed. There are thoughts of bountiful harvests of fruit and vegetables to come, of flowers in armfuls, of time spent outside without layers. Of bare feet on sandy beaches and verdant green lawns, of sitting around the fire at dinner time. And spring makes all of these things feel within reach.

But spring also brings with it work.

As a gardener and grower, this is the point where everything begins to gather pace. This year, more than most, I feel the weight of it. A long, wet winter has kept us indoors, and the jobs outside have quietly built up.

There are seeds to sow, beds to prepare, weeds already appearing. It can feel overwhelming at times.

And yet, with the longer days returning, the clocks soon shifting giving an extra hour in the evening, there is finally the time to begin.