spring equinox

The call it ‘the first day of spring’, but that’s daft, as spring comes in when it will, and it’s definitely sprung already.  The equinox is the day that the length of day and night are the same,  and from now on the days will be longer than the nights - yay!

We notice it, as are now able to check the animals before work/home ed and have time in the afternoon/ evenings to work outside.

I wondered how people used to celebrate the spring equinox, and looked it up. Seems the celebration usually involves sowing seeds and consuming eggs.  Well of course.. its the original Easter.  In fact the word ‘easter’ comes from the same derivation as the word ‘eostrogen’, they both are supposed to originate from Eostro, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of fertility. That all makes total sense.. spring = eggs, seeds, fertility, new life and the symbols are the spring flowers, eggs, chicks and rabbits.

I noticed our broody hen out of the hen house today, she had nipped out to scoff as much food and drink as much as she could before returning to her clutch of eggs. I took a peek whilst her back was turned and there they are, nice and warm tucked into her nest. She finished her hasty meal and went back to sitting. I checked our pregnant ewes, and admired the neat lines that represent our recent sowings of carrots, onions leeks, peas and parsnips.

Hopefully there is plenty of fertility going on around here. all is as it should be.