The bright blooms and birdsong of spring are an easy way for small children to tune into the seasons, and understand the passing of time on a yearly scale.
What song heralds spring where you live? It’s the song of the Tui that congregate and squabble in the flowering trees and flax for us. They swoop up and down the valley, and zoom low across the street from one suburban river of trees to another in search of the tastiest blooms.
Just like the sound of this bird chorus, there is a tangible sense of relief and buoyancy that we feel when days get longer, the sun shines brighter and we emerge from our winter hibernation.
Me and my sisters lived for many years on Kōwhai Street where the golden flecked trees lined the footpath like a fanfare all the way down to the lake so this golden hue takes me back nostalgically to schooldays, hence the vintage feel to this song.
