An Inventory of Spring*

puawānanga petal

spores on puhinui (maiden hair fern)

porokaiwhiri flowers (pigkeonwood)

babies on mouku (hen & chickens fern)

An Inventory of Spring 

1. warmer days
2. warmer nights
3. daylight saving begins - my body & mind ambivalent 
4. puawānanga flowers - we know this only because we find their petals on the ground
5. kōwhai flowers - tūī get possessive 
6. wharariki flowers - tūī seem less concerned this year; maybe there is finally enough to go around
7. pukatea, rewarewa, porokaiwhiri & tī flower &, with a jolt, I realise why my friend wears that particular perfume
8. kōhūhū flowers & the night air is scented with their delicious, sweet, heady perfume
9. sunsets
10. mackerel skies
11. pīpīwharauroa calls - we breathe a huge sigh of relief to know they've made it home
12. sun seems to shine more brightly
13. it’s windy & cold
14. spring snow falls on the mountain
15. bare feet on the grass
16. preparing the vege garden, guarding the seedlings
17. grass growing again
18. delight of ferns & fungi
19. pears & apples start to flower - salivating in anticipation 
20. avocado flower - maybe next year we’ll have a harvest 
21. soft, new leaves of deciduous trees 
22. walking to the letterbox, the sound of bees a constant hum in the canopy 
23. the sound of kererū gently cooing - we stare & stare in to the tree tops to see if we can spot a ‘ridiculously flimsy nest’ & it occurs to me that these reference books we read are a little unkind in their wording 
24. some days wearing jumpers, other days wearing shorts  
25. longing for summer, warm oceans & ripe tomatoes

* the inspiration for writing this list has come from An Inventory by Jenn Lee, which was our wild writing prompt earlier this week