‘Drip, drip, drop little April shower’… but, ‘The sun’ll come out tomorrow’! There is always a song in my mind as I sit to write this column and this month is no exception.

There is something uniquely special about finding a ‘cue for a song’ in the mundane every-day moments of life. As we continue to celebrate Easter during the school holidays, I am reminded of those great hymns we used to sing, such as ‘There Is a Green Hill Faraway’.

“I could write a sonnet about my Easter bonnet”

Although out of favour in the world of fashion, Easter bonnets are still quite a mainstay of school craft activities, along with colouring pages, making and decorating bunny ears, and having a go at dyeing eggs using food colouring.

One of the best things about having small children is the enthusiasm with which they greet these activities. Little ones delight in the textures of tissue paper, messing with paint and getting sticky with glue, while older siblings love to step up and take charge of hiding eggs for an Easter Egg Hunt, and guide younger siblings in the ways of staying up late and over indulging in chocolate!

“Oh, what a beautiful morning”

For me, spring is awakening, the woods are calling, and I love nothing more than the idea of taking a dog and a young child to explore and witness the first signs of new life springing up all around. We have already seen snowdrops and crocuses popping up; now it is time to anticipate the bluebells – officially with us in May, but we will see the carpet of green shooting up in preparation for their blooming.

Oh April, you are four seasons in one day. Fooling us with brief bursts of sunshine before soaking us to the bone with a sneaky shower. But this is real life, and I for one am celebrating the full harmony of nature’s symphony this month.

“Here comes the sun”

With clocks going forward on 31st March, we are seeing the evenings slowly get brighter, the days getting longer and the temperatures rising – filling us with anticipation for summer and what lies ahead. No matter what the weather brings, if you are open to the joys of nature and the changing of the seasons, there is always a song to sing and a reason to smile.

“Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes”

Just as the months glide imperceptably into each other, so our children grow and change before our very eyes, morphing from chubby baby, to curious toddler, blooming into adventurous child and flourishing into teenagers before we can blink. Their lives have seasons just as the year does, so for my parting words I will say: today, pay attention to the season you find yourself in. Enjoy it, celebrate it and commit it to memory, because before you know it, everything will change again.