Dear reader...

MAY IS AN enticing month, offering enough warmth to spend whole days outdoors. I often wake early, eager to enjoy every minute of the longer days, now bringing more than 16 hours of sunlight. My favourite walk is along the river near my home, watching the familiar routines of mallards as they dabble along the banks, now with ducklings following along in a neatly spaced line. I smile at the sporadic movements of young moorhens as they skit across the water, responding to the characteristic squeak of their mother’s call. Until now, I could be sure of spotting a kingfisher, its cyan and orange plumage bright against a muted backdrop. But as the burgeoning riverbanks obscure my view, with the sharp growth of irises and protective clumps of reeds, sightings are much less frequent. This awakening of nature seems most noticeable in May. Progress is gentle through March and April, but May positively gallops towards summer. Frothing with clouds of cow parsley and Maybush blossom, no other month bubbles with such exuberance. Mimicking nature’s energy, rural communities are celebrating the season in high spirits. May Queens are being crowned; children grasping the ends of coloured ribbons skip around a maypole, and men dressed in knickerbockers and waistcoats dance in time-honoured patterns, energetically tapping out rhythms with clogs and bells. As May cheerfully dances on, I cannot help but be carried along in its intoxicating progress towards summer…