Today, we celebrate the Spring Equinox, the official start of spring. We say goodbye to what has been a very long winter and start to look forward to milder, warmer weather and longer days. There’s an optimism in the air as the birds sing, the flowers open and the leaves on the trees turn green.

“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower” (Albert Camus)

Today we celebrate the Autumn Equinox and the start of my favourite season. Summer is lovely while it lasts but as I sit here listening to the rain gently falling on the skylight, it’s as if Nature is doing its job and cleansing all around us.

I can’t believe we’re halfway through April already! I love this time of year as spring struggles to tame winter into submission and we can experience four seasons in one day. But the bluebells are beginning to appear around the forest - a sure sign that spring is winning the battle.

This year, the spring equinox coincides with a super-moon, known as the ‘Worm moon’, after the Native American observation that the worms begin to appear at the start of spring as the ground begins to thaw. It’s almost as if the birds know that winter is over as they busy themselves catching worms and gathering twigs for their nests. Look out for it tonight!

Today is the first day of spring and also St David’s Day - always nostalgic for me, having been brought up in Wales. It’s also my brother, David’s birthday. He underwent major heart surgery in January which was a bit of a shock but he is now recovering well.

It may still be February but the first signs of spring are already starting to appear in our garden - tiny snowdrops, brightly coloured crocuses and cheerful yellow daffodils - my favourite flowers (it’s a Welsh thing). The birds sound more optimistic and temperatures are slowly rising. The days are gradually getting longer as we anticipate the end of what seems to have been quite a long winter.

Winter has arrived here in the New Forest and as the temperature drops, the temptation is to hibernate until the spring But if we wrap up warmly and brave the cold, it’s actually one of the most exhilarating times of year to go for a walk/jog/run/cycle. We’ve had some stunning sunsets over the last few weeks and the winter sun streaming through the trees is so magical.