March madness

We have GALLOPPED through March. The days have grown increasingly lighter, the weather - despite Storm Gareth, so windy that I barely made it home in one piece on the bicycle - increasingly warmer. Several days spent sitting outside sipping coffee, if not taking an after-Sunday-lunch nap on the patio.

Daffodils are giving way to celandines; wild garlic is beginning to compete with the odd bluebell spiking out of the hedgerows; violets and daisies stud the lawn, primroses covering the banks along the lanes.

Stunning sunrises and sunsets, too.

The sun has been a fiery ball, shooting up above the hedge, blazing straight in to the bedroom window.

I'm grateful to be able to cycle, despite my arthritic knee: the specialist referred to the X-ray as 'horrifying' in that the cartilage has degenerated hugely and the knee is beginning to become somewhat deformed. Nevertheless, he also says I am managing it 'tremendously well' with exercise etc, so I shall continue to do so.

Converting my cycle to electric power is, however, greatly welcome.

Exercise and nature aside, March is full of cooing over photos and videos of Cara; parents' evenings - nearly four hours one night, over three hours the second (but at least we are not writing reports this term); and quite a few meals with friends and neighbours, always great fun. Meeting some fascinating people, too - my neighbour Nicky has some intriguing and interesting friends.

Friends: John Melhuish, a Catholic priest I have kept in touch with for over thirty years, and who has - had - friends on Guernsey who he met up with when he visited a few years ago, died suddenly. Wendy, a friend in church lost her ninety-five year old mother - not unexpected, of course, but still very sad. A good friend is undergoing chemotherapy... life is not without its sadnesses and difficulties.

Halfway through the month, though: our first Nightstop guest. We signed up to Nightstop - involving numerous training days, much form-filling and more than a little trepidation - which offers a safe place to sleep for a vulnerable young person. In Guernsey, homelessness looks like sofa-surfing, where a young person might leave the family to stay on a friend's sofa. We were lucky enough to be the scheme's first hosts on the island, as Nightstop was introduced to Guernsey only a few months ago. Pickle was in heaven, lapping up the attention and tickles which our guest kindly providd for her. And the best bit: a few days after the guest stayed, a more permanent solution was found for them as Action For Children worked hard to find accommodation.

And so the month rolled by....Easter approaches.

Lenten twigs: Swedish paskriset

It's Friday... but Sunday's a-coming! #lent #Easter #GoodFriday