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Article: Savour the spring and its small mercies in troubled times Glorious weather, flowers galore: they're almost enough to warm a mother's heart
- Article from:
- The Independent on Sunday (London, England)
- Article date:
- March 30, 2003
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2003 The Independent on Sunday. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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Mother's Day this year has coincided with the first full flush of
wild flowers. The shiny yellow stars of the celandines on the verges
have been joined by the blazing suns of the first dandelions. The
wood- violets are peeping shyly from the shelter of their heart-
shaped leaves, and the extraordinary pink, leafless pagodas of the
butterbur have rocketed up beneath the sprouting willows, apparently
overnight. More than most years this spring justifies the name. The
flowers seem to have sprung from the ground as if fuelled by
propellant rather than sap. Twigs are springing from dormant stumps,
and the buds are snapping open by the minute. This spring is a "leap"