February is a strange month. The days are getting longer while the nights, and often even the days, still have a wintry feel to them, even down here in the South of France.
All the candle holders are still out to light the evenings, while at the same time the mimosas are starting to bloom, shining bright yellow across the countryside.
Well, these are tiny specks of yellow in my living room right now, but I hope that some years from now they'll have survived puppy shock and will brighten our early spring days.
Evenings are filled with knitting, dinners are often warm soup, but we sometimes step out during the day to enjoy a wonderfully warm beam of sunshine.
I remember when we were little, when I lived in Germany with my family, that February was still a winter month for us. My birthday could be a snow day.
But my brother's birthday, only sixteen days after mine, but already in March, often brought the first warm spring winds that smelled of warm water and growing things. The earth would still look bleak, but somewhere around the twigs the color green would gather. Not yet leaves, but almost buds.
Oh, before I forget: If you would like a chance at winning one of my prints, or a 'princess and her frog' button set, head over to the Wishing Willow. They had the extreme kindness of writing a very nice and beautiful article about my work and are hosting a giveaway.
