Outdoor Discoveries

Best time of the year?

I must admit that have always enjoyed the month of May. When I was a student, it was that halcyon time leading up to exams when the weather was brilliant but I couldn’t go out and enjoy it. Since then, I have managed to be able to take in the sights, sounds and smells of this time of year. If the weather behaves, April can be a satisfactory lead in when, over the course of a week or two, leaves appear on the trees and transform the landscape with their fresh lush shade of green. This greenness persists through to the end of June and I like that month a lot as well. While birds seem to sing year round these days, I have noticed that birdsong does fill the air more noticeably at this time of year. And then there are the smells. The recent pleasant weather has allowed me to cycle to work and take in all of the above, particularly when I took a diversion on my way home yesterday evening. It is on these journeys that I have realised (only recently) that a field of oil seed rape can give off a pungent aroma of sweetness. I have got a half mile of this on my way to and from work; and I thought that oil seed rape just added its bright yellowness to the landscape… Add sunshine to all of the above and the experiences are almost unforgettable.