Growing Season by Seni Glaister

Author:Seni Glaister [Glaister, Seni]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2020-11-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 29

Sam had wandered into the woods to find Diana and had suddenly been struck by how different everything looked. ‘Just look at this!’ said Sam, excitedly, sweeping her arms around her to take in the lush green growth underfoot. The residual autumn debris of fallen leaves, fir cones and dry or wet mud that had carpeted the woodlands since Sam had first encountered them had now been completely resurfaced with the glossy green leaves of the bluebells. To Sam, it seemed as if the transformation had happened overnight.

‘Isn’t it magnificent?’ replied Diana, proudly. ‘This is one of my favourite times of year, the rebirth and renewal of late spring. Each day is one of immense change and progress, you can’t take your eyes off it for a second for fear of missing something.’

Sam inhaled deeply. The scent in the air had changed too, there was a promise captured in its sweetness.

Diana lowered herself into a folding chair beside the fire. She looked thoughtful as she considered the bluebells-to-be. ‘It’s funny, for the many years I commuted, the bluebells were a bit of a thing for me. I’d jump on a train in the dark and I’d return in the dark too. I had very little time for anything other than the relentless business of adulthood. But I’d always try to keep my eyes open for the bluebells. I’d congratulate myself if I remembered to look and, better still, if I caught a glimpse of that uniquely ephemeral blue. I think the first time I noticed them as an adult, it must have been a very late spring as for the longest time I associated them with May and so usually I’d barely start looking until they were already nearly over. Years would pass with just one glance of the blue carpet gleaned from a train window as we rushed by.’

Sam looked closely at the green all around her. There was no evidence of blue in sight but she waited patiently, knowing Diana hadn’t yet finished.

‘And they’re still a big part of my calendar today though not always with such positive associations. The bluebells in flower are a bit of a thorn in my side. They bring out the fair-weather walkers of April and May. They flock here in their droves to take pictures of the bluebells, they marvel at nature, they “ooh” and they “aah” and they impress themselves with their ability to immerse themselves in the moment. But they’re not really immersing themselves in it, are they? All they’re doing is taking pictures with their phones as proof they were here. And, I can tell you this for nothing, I know for a fact that nobody has ever taken a decent picture of bluebells on a phone. Nothing captures the true depth of field that the bluebells create. Bluebells are a fleeting manifestation of their own elusive myth. They are like a rainbow, you can’t ever quite reach its source, as you walk towards it, it skips away from you.

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