In spring, a few miles can go a long way.

The same season can have many faces.

Nature photos of the day: welcoming spring in the city, but not so much in the countryside just yet.

somewhere not so far off, a few mountains away
trees bloom, and so do ground-dwelling flowers
everything smells sweet, 
and birds sing an even sweeter song
nothing like the tough robins and life-honed crows
in the village 
i won't write a list
of all the flowers flourishing in town
for you probably know them all by now
but maybe, like a premature human
looking very mature in body
but not mature at all in mind and soul 
not ready for the hardships and challenges of life
such blooms aren't prepared for the moodiness of spring
but some flowers are more forward thinking than others
knowing when it is their time
and when they should wait
for right now it is frosty outside
it's snowing, and the wind is blowing in gusts
luckily the flowers are wise 
in the village, snuggly hidden, holding tight,
waiting to bloom when the time is right
when the snow stops and spring arrives for good

- Csermely 

We are fortunate enough that when we go to city - not to the hospital, like most other villagers - we get to do a variety of things. Like dancing, gardening, shopping, working in a library, going to the park, or simply enjoying the springy weather in a different setting. So different from ours in both scenery and temperature, divided only by a mountain pass.

In the city of Baia Mare (Nagybánya), trees are verdant and shining with pink, white and yellow flowers, while some are already dropping their petals. On the ground, flowers are blooming in their fair share as well, making the air smell quite springy. On Friday we were supposed to come home with an early bus, but instead we decided to spend the day in the city. Usually we would want to get home as soon as possible after a night in the city to our quiet and peaceful home, however it was simply too wondrous of a sunshine-filled day to hop on a bus and ride away from.

A couple of flowers from the city.

Spring usually arrives in the city a few weeks earlier than in the mountains, and this year wasn’t any different. In Breb, the flowers in the trees haven’t started flowering yet, and everything is quite brown. Especially compared to the flowery cornucopia of colors not so far away.

Here are some Sunday morning shots of the unexpected “spring season” here in the village. Even though nature is less advanced, it is beautiful “as is”.

A dusting of winter on the ground.

Otherwise it has been sunny here too, but Mother Nature, or whoever else has a hand in the sky, has decided that spring shouldn’t arrive in the village just yet. Spring has been pretty temperamental this year (as it always is), so we have had strong northerly winds (smoking us out of the house a few times already today), rain, and even some snow today. Yesterday afternoon we had our first bigger thunderstorm.

Obviously the dogs we pet on our walks around the village don’t care so much about the weather, and are always happy to see us. Like the crows and tits are always joyful when we give them an offering of nuts and seeds in the morning. Let me suggest that you too, share a little bit of joy with the nature, animals, and people you come across this week. And be kind. You can do this by feeding animals with appropriate treats, appreciating their presence, giving someone you love a gift, supporting a small business by subscribing, shopping local (we buy milk, butter, eggs and sour cream from the village ladies) or simply by writing something nice online.

It’s about time for the journal prompt of the day, but before that, here are a few more photos from spring here vs. spring in the city.

Above: a slow spring in Breb. Below: cherry blossoms and unfurling ferns in the city.

As for the journal prompt of the day:

How is your spring different from spring in the next bigger city, or county, near you? And how has spring changed since you were a kid?

Though the air smelt so sweet in the city, and with the grass already being mown - you know those green leaf volatiles (GLV)!, it was still a gift to get off the bus and see our brown, hibernating, and wonderful village again, even if we were only gone for 36 hours. It was a breath of fresh air, though smelling more of smoke from people’s spring cleaning than anything else. I would love to hear about your spring below.

Thanks for reading about our ascent, or descent, into spring.

With gratitude,