Full of the joys of spring!

It’s time to welcome darling buds, cotton clothes and look forward to alfresco meals, says our gorgeous cover star Caroline

‘Spring was moving in the air above and in the earth below and around him, penetrating even his dark and lowly little house with its spirit of divine discontent and longing’

Ilove this quote from Kenneth Grahame’s and feel just like Mole at this time of year – filled with excitement, expectation and a sort of restless desire to get things done and go outside. And it’s a time when just a few really small things make me feel so good about life...

Yellow is all about us – buds of primroses, the biting sulphurous yellow of forsythia and, of course, daffodils, sending up their velvety spires, which open into golden trumpets as the days warm up. And I love seeing the pale-pink blossom, too, from apple, cherry and plum trees.

The petals fill the air like confetti whenever breezes blow. The acid greens of new leaves and the baby blue of a cloudless sky… Suddenly, the world around us is lit up in full colour. At last, the heavy coats and jumpers can be put away and it’s time to get out cotton skirts and white shirts. Florals and stripes are in the shops and it’s almost time to reveal my knees… Last year’s sandals (a bit dusty and scrunched up at the back of the wardrobe) will be given a new lease of life with a bit of shoe polish and a duster. I’m not naturally one of life’s spring cleaners. I can easily go for weeks without noticing the odd cobweb too much, but when I see a shaft of spring sunlight dancing with specs of twinkling dust, even I get the urge to grab a mop and bucket and give the place a going over. And I do so love the smell of beeswax on a spring morning.

Spring always heralds the beginning of a new health and fitness regime: more walking, less sugar. It just feels so much easier when there’s more daylight and even the odd glimmer of sunshine. Even if I only drop a pound or two and stretch my limbs, there’s no better feeling than the sound of birdsong, the occasional feeling of sun on my face, the smell of freshly mown grass and the tingling sense of hope it all brings.

As the song says, ‘Birds do it, bees do it…’ and, at this time of year, lots of animals have done it – fallen in love and produced absurdly sweet babies. When my chickens are broody and clamp down on a clutch of eggs, the anticipation is almost too much to bear. I never lose the thrill of seeing the fuzzy chicks, squeaking and wobbling about like lost yellow pompoms looking for a misplaced woolly hat.

Whether it be a picnic on a tartan rug, a big smoky barbecue or a simple supper around a wooden table at home or in a pub garden, pretending I live in a country warm enough to enjoy dinner outside is a thrill. Even if it’s essential to wear a cardi (or a thermal vest).

I’m a serial decorator. I like to ring the changes, whether it’s just moving the sofa or revamping old furniture with a new coat of paint – turquoise being my current passion (it’s nicer than it sounds, honest).

I adore a bit of stodge as much as the next woman, but I love to get out my cookery books and start planning lighter, fresher meals – salads, fruit and chilled soups.

Yes, the jewel-coloured, sweetsmelling, boundlessly optimistic days of this country’s spring deserve the warmest of welcomes.