Spring: the good, the bad, the pollen

Like an Instagram photo dump, but better (because it's Substack and it's words)

It’s that time again. Winter is officially behind us and spring is knocking, ready to emerge from the wings and steal the show. This seasonal change brings an essence of joy that’s often romanticised (especially by us on Substack), but sometimes it’s fun to strip back the romance and appreciate things, like spring, for what they truly are.

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🌤️ It’s reminding ourselves that, while we should be doing it all year round, we really need to start wearing SPF everyday now.

🌤️ It’s hanging the washing outdoors instead of somehow never escaping an over-stacked clothes airer while going about our day.

🌤️ It’s putting the slow cooker away and getting excited about a salad, but only if it contains a sufficient amount of yummy add-ons that detract from it being a salad.

🌤️ It’s the blissful feeling of standing in a newly sun-drenched nook of the house, enjoying the warmth while procrastinating what we should be doing. It’s better this way; there’s less guilt for avoiding the task because the sun is out.

🌤️ It’s committing to the big coat because the morning is still chilly, only to spend the rest of the day carrying said coat around. It’s annoying. It usually comes with a mental note to purchase more ‘in between’ jackets.

🌤️ It’s buying more ‘in between’ jackets and realising they are far harder to match with outfits than a winter coat that utterly overhauls everything.

🌤️ It’s realising that – for all the years we rolled our eyes while Mum said everything is better when the sun’s out – she really was onto something.

🌤️ It’s the indoor vs. outdoor seating debate on a coffee date. It’s harder to judge in these early spring weeks; we might not have the big coat with us for safety, remember?

🌤️ It’s walking to things we’d usually drive to, realising that the sun somehow makes us less lazy.

🌤️ It’s wearing sunglasses everywhere. Partly because we need them now, but partly because they exude a chic energy and cover tiredness in equal measure. The goal:

🌤️ It’s feeling happy to see the supermarket aisles filled with Easter eggs, for now is an acceptable time to get excited. (It’s also justifying our annoyance at them first appearing in the same time frame as Christmas.)

🌤️ It’s contemplating a BBQ for dinner because really, it’s never too early.

🌤️ It’s going from moaning that it’s too cold for a run to moaning that it’s too hot for a run. There is no in between here, there will always be an excuse.

🌤️ It’s waking up and feeling the painful, sporadic dance our eyelids do as they meet a room no longer engulfed in total darkness. And for those with black-out curtains/blinds, it’s having this on an arguably more intense scale upon opening said curtains/blinds without a second thought for the light that now lies beyond them.

🌤️ It’s packing an umbrella whenever we dare to wear an outfit with no obvious rain protection, just in case.

🌤️ It’s imagining how nice it would be to have a garden worthy of the Chelsea Flower Show and deciding we’re definitely going to plant more and grow our own vegetables this year. (Repeat this one annually.)

🌤️ It’s the return of hay fever and constant sneezing.

🌤️ It’s speaking about the improving weather wherever we go, with whoever we see – but especially with people we aren’t hugely familiar with. It’s a foolproof conversation starter all year round, and this season is no exception.

🌤️ It’s a later, more beautiful, sunset that demands a spur-of-the-moment photo, even with unsteady hands when being a passenger princess on the motorway. Exhibit A:

🌤️ It’s the announcement of summer festival line-ups and FOMO for everyone who – yet again – didn’t secure hallowed Glastonbury tickets.

🌤️ It’s looking at the calendar in utter shock at how busy the next few weekends are, forgetting the amount of plans pre-emptively made months ago. (Nobody wants to go out in winter, come on now.)

🌤️ It’s walking past a school and hearing the deafening sound of 200 children running around a playground, teachers thankful for the sun finally pulling them all outside.

🌤️ It’s getting annoyed at someone playing incessantly loud music from their car with the windows (or roof) DOWN.

🌤️ It’s randomly deciding to book a summer holiday, quickly scouring the internet for last-minute deals, only to wonder how last-minute booking prices never live up to what they once were.

🌤️ It’s somehow managing to catch a cold, but feeling utterly out of sync with its presence against the weather outdoors.

🌤️ It’s having a fizzy drink with extra large ice cubes, a slice of lemon, and a straw. Utterly perfect and not at all unhealthy when enjoyed now – it’s a necessity.

🌤️ It’s switching from white wine to rosé wine (or an Aperol spritz, of course).