Spring has Sprung
The grass has ris
Now I know why the birdies is

Last night I was reminded of the things I missed during winter and is a clear sign of the warmer months...
About 11.30 pm (bedtime) I was lulled with a gentle almost sub audible booming sound....George and his new missus.
Ten minutes or so later there were a series of loud cross between shriek and a whistle then a series of rapid fire chatter. First on our nature strip then it went up and down the street. This continued off and on in the immediate neighbourhood until the wee hours... Marge and John were back and at it again.......Ah bliss I was comforted to sleep with thoughts of cranky old Spot and his clicking.
What do YOU look forward to as a sign of Spring and would miss if they didn't occur?

Dear Examinator,

Thanks for this thread - you've given me an
excuse to do a bit of day-dreaming...

What do I look forward to as a sign of spring,
and would miss if it did not occur?

Spring to me is that wonderful season when
my garden begins to come to life.
When the plants begin to blossom - the birds
begin to sing - and I begin to dream of holidays...

- My almod trees are especially
beautiful - resembling snow-drops. Then there's
the cherry trees,the magnolias,lavender,
and my various orchids - all so
exquisite.

The birds get noisier and start their
nest-building. Then there's the many shrubs that were only
green yesterday - they suddenly burst out in wonderful
arrays of colour. The sun begins to feel warmer,
the days become brighter and longer, sunsets seem
to last until dawn - there are dreams and schemes
and holidays ahead - it's all a ride on a rainbow
my friend - and I'd miss it very much indeed if it
didn't exist.

However, in keeping with your first post and the
spring experience you've had recently - here's
part of a little ditty that I posted on another
thread that you may enjoy:

"I blow my pipes, the glad birds sing,
The fat young nymphs about me spring,
The sweaty centaur leaps the trees
And bites his dryad's splendid knees;
The sky, the water, and the earth
Repeat aloud our noisy mirth ...
Anon, tight-bellied baccanals,
With ivy from the vineyard walls,
Lead out and crown with shining glass
The wine's red baby on the grass.

I blow my pipes, the glad birds sing,
The fat young nymphs about me spring,
I am the lord,
I am the lord,
I am the lord of everything!"
- Hugh McCrae

Xammy, the kapok trees (Cochlospermum gillivraei) do it for me. They’re coming into flower now. They are common on Magnetic Island and the hills around Townsville.

Right at about the driest time of the year when the dry tropics are looking pretty sad with dead brown grass throughout the savanna woodlands and drought-stressed shrubs in the vine thickets, the kapoks lose all their leaves and burst into magnificant flower.

http://www.sgaptownsville.org.au/images/Cochlospermum%20gillivraei.JPG

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/142/317802700_823fd44758.jpg

http://internt.nhm.ac.uk/resources/nature-online/online-exhibitions/endeavour-botanical/pictures/X/B000029X.jpg

Oh boy Foxy, you sure do know how to daydream!

( :>)

Ludwig,
We used to have kapok fight as children in Rabaul. Pity it's gone now under 2 mtrs of volcanic ash..And to thing of all the lives that were lost for that place in WW2.
Did you work out the identities to
Marge and John, George and Cranky Spot?

Foxy
More pixies (daydreams) I see good onya

Definitely the increasing temperature. To go outside and feel it's hot or stay up until to the early hours of the morning and suddenly realise it's not even cool. Granted, that can occur anytime here, but from spring onwards it's the norm and not a special treat as it is in winter. On a broader scale to see the circulation pattern starting it's progression to the wet season. It's started now. Intermitantly thermal lows are appearing over Western Australia. As time wears on they'll become more frequent and spread all over the northern inland, becoming a daily feature by about October. About this time, IF we're lucky, afternoon storms will begin.

Most people seem to think that winter is the best time of the year in the tropics but give me summer any day. I've lived here all my life and I definitely feel more upbeat and generally enthusiastic during spring and summer. The only downside is the threat of cyclones. Most people disagree, but I don't care. I'm old enough to know what I like!