Counting seasons

In this pandemic, days are added to days. Season follows season, and we have started to count the time in years. We can go on to live like this, as long as there are changes to notice. During winter days are alike but as spring is here every day is different. The other day we saw the first Liverwort blooming, and from the thickets blackbirds were singing. It is not yet time for cherry blossoms and I do not think we should leave to look for the bloom this year either. We will have to do with apple bloom later in May.

snow or butterflies
No! in spring it’s falling
cherry blossoms

Today we are writing Haibun with Frank at dVerse. We are to write using the classic kigo cherry blossom. We are so far north so cherry blossoms are still many months away. I do not expect to see any of them, as nobody grows them were we live, and I will not go to downtown Stockholm this spring either.

March 29, 2021

22 responses to “Counting seasons”

Very beautiful. Even if you don’t see them, any part of nature is beautiful especially apple blooms.

I love all kinds of blossom! It’s such a lovely time of year. You’re right, things are changing so rapidly – something new to see everyday. We have our first violets in the hedgerow. Lovely write, Bjorn.

I think those early blossoms are a perfect stand-in for the cherry blossoms. I do understand why you choose not to go downtown this year. What a perfect combination this is:
“The other day we saw the first Liverwort blooming, and from the thickets blackbirds were singing.”

This is gorgeous Bjorn!

Now we’ve seen all the seasons during the pandemic – yes, we’ve been counting – and spring is once again the month that gives us the most changes and the most hope. I will have to wait a while for our cherry and apple trees to blossom, but in the meantime we are lucky to have white blossom on both quince and plum. I enjoyed your haiku, especially as I saw my first butterfly of the season today.

hopefully te apple bloosom will be as good

I agree that spring makes the lockdown feel lighter! Who knew this time last year that we would be entering spring a year later, still in lockdown. I hope you do get to see some apple blossoms at the very least!

A bit early here as well, Bjorn. We also have blooming crabapple, pear, dogwood, plum and redwood. Spring is glorious and fragrant when all are in bloom, but it’s a couple of weeks away at least.

Love your Haiku, really beautiful! I too thought, there will be no going to Kungsträdgården this year. So I searched my photo archive until I found some pictures from a couple of years ago.

Lovely Bjorn
Happy Monday

much love…

I’m sure the apples make up for the lack of cherry blossoms, but I feel a bit sad that you won’t see any. Lovely haibun.

Great work, Bjorn. No blossoms anytime soon here, either. Hang in there!

If a bloom falls downtown and no one sees it, did it really bloom? 🙂 You capture time here in a way that is fragile as the blooms, and I enjoyed it.

I can feel the sigh of resignation at not seeing Cherry Blossoms. And I love how you evoke the love of Spring coming!

Tender and lovely Bjorn. I can feel your embrace of the changing season. Well written.

We both touched on Covid for our haibun.
Fruit blossoming trees can be gorgeous. I had a pear and a cherry tree, and their blossoms were always a welcome sign.

I like how you describe the measurement of time during the pandemic, and how it starts to differ in the spring. Very nice!

We have them, but it is too early yet. Beautiful haibun! Every flower bloom is beautiful!

Lovely bjorn. For a while I lived in an apartment complex and one courtyard near the management office was full of cherry trees, and it was like pink snow once they started falling.

There is an undercurrent in this, frustration perhaps? I feel it more than I can describe it.