Rödluvan and the spring
2002, 2003 and 2009
 

The first spring flower was indoors. A yellow Begonia
The snow was slowly melting. The roads were free from snow so it was easier to walk. But there was still snow  in the gardens. And piles of snow were still lying beside the roads. The sun began to warm a little. But then King bore came back again. It started snowing and the wind was blowing.

The next day there was a lot of snow again.  I was hiding my face in my big hood. The wet snow sounded "Patter, patter" on my hood. It was like being in a tent. My dream about spring disappeared. But I got a  flowerpot with yellow flowers from a friend. These flowers made a little spring indoors.
The sun came back and King Bore created a sculpture of ice around the twigs. And when the sun was shining on it, they  were glistening.
    
At mars 2003 I saw the first snowdrops. They were growing in a back yard on a sunny place. On the sunny place by a wall, there were some flowers named Scilla. I was so happy for this sign of spring.
Apirl 2 (2003 Everything looked like this and all the colours were gone. King Bore was back and it was cold, cold, cold. The wind was blowing and wet snow was pattering on my hood. Yes, I knew it could be like this in April. This happened every year. You think it's spring and then winter is back again. I met my friend, the black Labrador Nilla in the woods. Then it felt like summer was back. I  remembered a hot day in August. When  Nilla's mom, my colleagues and I were with Nilla had a pick-nick on the hill  behind work. Then Nilla was lying in the shadow. I knew that the warmth should come back.
I got beautiful tulips from my husband. Even though it was cold outside, I  could have spring indoors with the tulips.
This tulip almost looked like a rose. The  purple tulip was so beautiful. A yellow cloth on the table and a purple tulip. Two colours of the spring. But outdoors it was still snowing and it was cold.
April 2002. Rödluvan was buying food and then I was day dreaming about spring. O remembered the first tussilago.  I walked out from the shop and continued day dreaming about tussilago and all the scent of flowers and.....

"Do you want to buy a May flower?"

I awoke from from day dreams. A little girl wanted to sell May flowers. Children sell these every year, it is charity. The May flower was blue and yellow. The May flower is a sign of spring too.

 April 11, 2003 I was buying food at the same shop again. And even then I had day dreams about spring. But the wind was blowing so cold and the spring  seemed so far away. I put on my hood.  I was thinking about yellow daffodils and....

"Do you want to buy a May flower?"

Again there was a little girl outside the shop who wanted to sell May flowers. This May flower was as red as Rödluvan's hood.  A sign of spring again.
Now I had a nice orange Gerbera on the table. I got it from a neighbour. And at work there were small daffodisl in the coffee room.
April 14, 2003. The sun was shining from a clear blue sky. Near a wall at the sunny side I saw a dandelion. The first one this year. This one was early, They use to come at the end of April or beginning of May. April 15,  2003. I saw the first tussilago on a sunny side. At that place there use to grow a lot of tussilago.

In the year 2006 there was still a lot of snow on that place. Then spring was late.
I found a crocus at April 21. Crocus
2003-04-23. Another chilly day came.
But the buds were bursting. There is a poem in Swedish that says: " It hurts when the buds burst".		 2003-04-23. Willow twig and my red coat in the background.
April 15, 2003. It was too early for the daffodil to grow outdoors. I had daffodil indoors. At April 17  I saw the first  chaffinch in the woods. At April 19 there were cranes flying over the yard. At April 2009 I saw swans flying over the parking lot by work.

In the year 2002 I saw the first tussilago at April 22. Then the whole hillside was covered with these small yellow flowers. In the year 2003 there were not so much tussilago but it was colder that year. But in the year 2006 there still was snow on the place.

Careful I touched a tussilago. Nature gave so much comfort. And every year there are new things to look at.
2003-04-20. I could take out my bike. Now I was meeting the spring. This was wonderful.
2003-04-24. But WHERE is the spring!!!! The temperature was under Zero and it started snowing!  Everything was white again. There was a  "Patter, patter" sound again onmy big hood.
But there was someone sitting in an Internet café in Prague and talking on the Internet about spring: "The spring is here, the blackbird is singing here and the trees are turning green".
Yes, it was spring in Prague. In the park the trees were in bloom And some trees had small green leaves.
The Queen of Spring was standing there in her white clothes and she whispered. Don't give up! The spring will soon come to Umeå. And then you will enjoy the sweet-scented flowers. And the sun will warm your frozen heart.
2009-04-10. The day before Easter. It was snowing heavy at six o'clock in the morning.
Easter?????
No, it looked more like Christmas!
2009-04-10. But I had spring inside. Crocus and miniature daffodils.
2009-04-15. I saw the first Tussilago near a wall on the sunny side of a house.
2009-04-24. The snow was melting. But still there is snow. Now everything looks dirty because of the black grit that they sprinkled out in winter.
2009-04-24. The grass is still brown. Now the ducks have found their partner. They were sleeping near the water in the dry grass
2009-04-24. I found crocus in a lawn in front of fhe hospital.
2009-04-24. I did not meet some children who were selling May flowers. But I got this May flower from a kind woman. It made me so happy :-)
2009-04-24. On my way home I bought tulips and crocus. I needed some spring flowers around me.

Wilhelmina Schedin 2016-03-12