On Spring

Of all the things I love in the world, I have a favourite. It’s the thing that allows us to throw off the lethargy of the winter and embrace the world with a new and renewed energy. The thing I love the most in the world? Spring.


The world awakens again. Buds burst into life. Colours return. 


Gone are the days of bundling yourself up, braced against the winter cold. Now is the time for lighter clothes; a lighter heart. Spring makes me hopeful that we will emerge from our centrally heated homes and live outdoors once again. That charred meat sizzling on a BBQ will once again be the food that we devour alongside cool beers. That we will dip our feet in rivers and climb to the tops of mountains and feel the heat of sun on our skin. 


As I walked through the sunlit quarry this morning and St Chad’s Church came into view, I was once again awed at the responsibility of it’s new Vicar and smiled as I remembered a fun evening spent in her company on Monday. There's a measure of maintaining a 'public face' when you are the person in charge of this church and two others in the town centre and I got a glimpse of that side last week. However, on Monday, I got to know the other side of Yejide Peters. The New York accent that barely pauses to take breathe, the laughter that booms through the tiny English pub and the quips about our country and interestingly, our perceived overuse of mayonnaise. I'm not sure if Shrewsbury is ready for this fireball, but I'm certainly glad that she's here.