Signs of Spring

Spring arrived gently a few weeks ago.  I heard it in the air, felt it in my bones and smelt it in the pollen that flew everywhere!  But I paid no heed to it until I began to see the first lilies of my garden emerge.  It was only then that I realized that winter had finally left.

My garden was also changing - the lime tree was straggling back to life and the sweet lime bending under the weight of slowly ripening fruit.

As I began paying attention to the trees, I realized they were alive with birds and birdsong - loaded with incredibly coloured creatures trilling, chirping and flying from branch to branch.  The kites began swooping down more often - to collect twigs for nests.  It is an amazing sight to watch these powerful birds whooshing down to collect a tiny little stick and soaring back up into the sky.

A few days ago, I saw a gardenful of butterflies, all fluttering about at the same time.  (It's really not possible to capture the sight of a bevy of butterflies or a tree bursting with birds.)

As the days get warmer, there are signs of things stirring everywhere - from within the earth and beyond, in the wide blue sky.  Signs of spring, now leading to the usual Bangalore early summer.  In fact, the rapidly spreading Tabebuia yellow in the last few days indicates that summer may already be here!