the light is getting different, Spring is coming

 

Dear Bloggers,

Do you recognise that feeling? Every year around this time, when it's sunny one day, the crocuses are still awkwardly opening their limp calyxes to catch the first rays of sunshine, and you can enjoy the feeling that spring is coming so intensely?

 

I certainly do. It can make me feel completely euphoric. The air is clear and clean, the light feels different and the birds are singing again. Last Friday, I walked the dogs and did my round in the village; sun on my face and wind at my back, with a hint of chill still in the air. In addition to the crocuses in the parks, I also saw the bright yellow flowers of coltsfoot popping up. Everything was fresh, new and beautiful.

On the way back, it was dark, with thick clouds full of rain and the wind blowing hard in my face. The euphoric feeling was gone.

 

That's what I love about this time of year: the new that is tentatively and cautiously becoming tangible and visible, and the old that is still there, shaking me awake and bringing me back to the here and now.

 

This is similar to my process of developing a new story. Just like the many flower bulbs that have been waiting invisibly in the earth since summer, I sit behind the screen all that time, my brain working hard.

Now the time has come for the first shoots to cautiously peek above the ground. I find that exciting, because the shoots are still thin and fragile. But I also know that this can grow into something very beautiful. This is pretty much everything I have with nature.

And yet I have learned to enjoy everything that grows and blooms during my walks through the woods and nature reserves. These walks also give your mind a sense of peace and you have to learn to see by really looking. I walked a lot because my wife was in a very bad way and I needed to escape from it all. Walking helped me to keep my thoughts and pain under control. It was a bit of relaxation at a time of financial worries and a family that demanded a lot of attention.

Writing about everyday things is also a help in this world filled with disasters and wars. We hear very few positive things, which sometimes makes it difficult to write a story.

 

Just like plants, I need good seeds to sow a story and wait for the first shoots to emerge from the ground.

I could also use some help in spreading my “seeds”.

So that things can return to normal and the old-fashioned idea of letting children play in nature slowly but surely becomes the norm again. And we let children grow up in contact with nature, instead of glued to their screens. So, parents of today, put your stuff and worries aside for a moment and enjoy the lovely spring sunshine.

Everybody needs a bit of Sunshine and a little flower

 

The Old Sailor,

 

Spring is coming

 Dear Bloggers,

 

It is on its way, Spring. We celebrate that the sun is shining, the birds are singing, the first buds are budding, the sky is blue again. Above all, move with the rhythm of this season, because there is no period more suitable for a fresh start than spring.

 

Sunset at the harbour of Langweer (©Passantenhaven Langweer)

Everything starts up again.

Spring is eminently symbolic of new beginnings. Just look around you. Nature is slowly awakening from its hibernation. The bare branches still seem asleep now, but the spectacle is about to begin. The first buds come out, and then suddenly the party erupts in an explosion of blossom. Along the way, you already see loads of crocuses and snowdrops, and here and there the daffodils are coming out of the ground. The old is cleared away and makes room for the new. With spring, the cycle begins a new round.

 

 

Go Outside

This great reversal does not only apply to nature. After a period of stillness, inner peace, and relaxation, it is also time for us as humans to turn outwards. To leave the past behind and set new ideas in motion. Get clean by cleaning your house, for example. Get outside and meet new people. Enjoy every ray of sunshine there is. Open the windows, clear out stuff you no longer need and feel your home fill with new life energy, using your emotions and thoughts as wonderful tools to live it to the full. Once you have mastered this steering of positive thinking, you can turn your deepest desires and most beautiful dreams into reality.

 

Young, fresh energy

Spring represents cheerfulness, optimism, and bursts of joyfulness. You can feel the energy around you changing. Move with that young and fresh energy and get outside. Be aware of everything around you and look for every sign of spring. Feel the freshly cut grass under your feet, the spring breeze through your hair and enjoy to the full. Feel how it comes in and how it touches you and lock spring in your heart. What a wonderful feeling.

 

Creation and innovative ideas

You will find that because of this renewed energy from the sun and experiencing your surroundings, innovative ideas come to you more easily. You see possibilities and are often brimming with inspiration. Go for creation preferably do something with your ideas and freshen up your home for example with a new and fresh coat of paint, or a fresh piece of wallpaper and if you do not have a lot of money to spare, a good clean-up and purification can also be very satisfying. It gives a feeling linked to spring. It is the place for new beginnings, to make all your dreams and goals come true.

 

Benefits of Modern Seasonal Celebrations

The first day of each season is a wonderful opportunity to pause and connect with nature. Seasonal celebrations are affordable, nature-based, and as easy as you want them to be. It is nice to take a time-out from the clock’s relentless march forward occasionally to appreciate what’s happening in the natural world: What the sky looks like, what local wildlife are up to, which birds are hanging out at the neighborhood pond, and whether the leaves are budding, falling, or mulching the gardens.

Seasonal celebrations are also a suitable time to reflect on the lessons the season imparts. Fall teaches us about the inevitability of loss. Winter shows us the importance of inactivity in plants and animal life, darkness, and stillness. Spring shows the possibility of rebirth. And the bounties of summer are endless. Its light, warmth, and lush crops.

Create some spring traditions this year!

What better time than spring to start some new family traditions? Pick activities that you will want to do year after year and ones that will make the day relaxing and special for you and your family.

Decorate your surroundings.

Collect spring flowers, cherry buds, or whatever symbolizes springtime in your family and display them on a mantle or tabletop. Place bouquets of crocuses, daffodils, tulips, or dandelions around the house. so, they wake up to fresh flowers on the first day of spring.

Observe

The days are getting longer. Go outside on the first day of spring to watch the sun rise and set. Find out what time the sun will rise and set where you live. Go on a walk or hike and identify wildflowers if they are already sprouting in your area. Or visit a local farm and see if you can get a glimpse of calves, lambs, or chicks in the barnyard. Gardening season is here! Spend some time planning your springtime garden. Have each family member pick a favorite flower or plant to sow in honor of the first day of spring. Designate a special garden and make a ceremony of it.

Read

And chilly days aren’t over yet, so on these days grab a warm drink and sit down with a great book or a nice magazine. Just reflect the past time and look forward to warmer weather. That brings you in the mood for the weeks to come.

Craft

Easter is part of spring and yes, it is fun to decorate hard-boiled eggs with harmless paint and even if your kids have grown up it gives a great feeling to do something that you love. Release your inner child and enjoy the time doing something with your hands and it is good for your brain to get creative.

 “Do not be afraid. Change is such a beautiful thing,” said the Butterfly.”

The Old Sailor,

 

Spring is in the air

Dear Bloggers,

If your weather is anything like mine, it certainly doesn't feel like spring is in the air. But that's okay! The rain is pooring down and lightning strikes in the area. We had some nice spring days already with temperatures above 20 degrees Celcius. So I am sure to warm things up for you!

Spring has always been traditionally linked with romance, and for a good reason. Flowers bloom as the ground thaws out, and as the temperatures rise, we're ready to go out and do something. Falling in love is always a popular item on the list. Even if you're already coupled up, spring is a wonderful time to discover new experiences with your partner! Nature is beautiful when the sun is out, even in the city

After mowing the garden this week, I sat down made myself a nice cup of coffee and picked a novelle from the bookshelf. Sitting there hearing the birds sing and enjoying the sunshine. If you are dreaming away sitting in your backyard with a romantic novelle, picturing the following phrases you get weak inside and find yourself in this story:

 
He collapsed on top of her, his face landing in the cushion of her silken hair. Breathing heavily, he inhaled the aroma of moss, honeysuckle, and something else that was simply, undeniably her. He slid to the side, keeping his arms wrapped tightly around her. Laura turned to face him, and her tangible movements in the aftermath of their activities brought him more joy than he ever thought possible.

Even as exhaustion descended upon him like a soothing rain, she captured his undivided attention. “I love you,” he said.
 

All of sudden you are woken up by one of the kids that just came home after school. Somehow you cannot ban this picture out of your head and you are still fully aroused when your spouse is coming home. Yes my friends I will tell you that spring fever is real. Sure, we think of it as a time for young people to fall in love during a spring break. But we don’t realize there’s a whole lot of biological action taking place to motivate people to get it on when the sun comes out. Part of it is about the sun and increased levels of vitamin D and how that raises testosterone levels in our bodies. The rest is about exploring the world which gets people primed and ready for sex. Let’s look at some scientific facts behind spring fever so you’ll be ready … no matter how crazy it gets … when you hit the beach!

Sunshine raises vitamin D levels. Vitamin D is actually a hormone that is generated when sunlight hits your skin. During winter, your vitamin D levels drop by 50% unless you take supplements. When you get out and hit the beach at the onset of spring, your vitamin D levels jump back up, especially if you’re in the semi-tropics like Cancun, Mexico, Hawaii, or Thailand.
Vitamin D is Associated with Testosterone. When vitamin D goes up, so does your level of testosterone. This happens because vitamin D increases the production of testosterone in men’s and women’s sex organs. 

And that is what makes Spring fever come alive.
Testosterone is Necessary for Sexual Arousal in both Women and Men. It’s an urban myth that testosterone is strictly a male hormone. Women are dependent, too, on sufficient levels of testosterone in order to become physically aroused about sex. There is, in fact, a testosterone patch for women who just can’t get physically aroused about sex. Emotional arousal, of course, is different and related to another set of hormones and neurotransmitters.

Exploring the World increases emotional desire for sex. When individuals get out and explore the world like people do when spring fever hits, the willingness to engage in sex increases. That’s because exploring new things increase the neurotransmitters tied to the mental-emotional part of being hot to get it on. That mental-emotional part of sexual desire generally involves a debate about whether the time and place is right for sex. Exploring the world works to tune that out.

What this all amounts to is that spring fever is a biological Yes!Yes! reaction to hitting the beach: Yes your body is getting aroused for sex. And Yes your head says, “Why not?” to sexual encounters.
It doesn’t matter who you are or what your relationship status is. Do yourself a favor. Take a spring break and hit the beach. Bring your lover or spouse, go with a friend, or jump on a plane and just arrive. Don’t ask me why, but just go and do it! It’s great for your health both emotionally and physically. And for your love life. 

Let the sunshine give it a tune up!

The Old Sailor,

Feeling hot, hot, hot...........

Dear Bloggers,

A few days ago it was hot and humid in all of the Netherlands and I did not want to go anywhere on this day as it is too bloody hot out there. Now, I am not a person who idly switches on the air-conditioning unit when the temperature rises above 27c (If I would have had one as the Dutch climate is normally not having that many hot days.) but today is just a bit different. Going out of the house is not an option as there is no wind and it is 34c degrees in the shadow and outside my kids are in the pool filled with cold water under a huge sunscreen and yes, they are having a good time.

We are checking every 15 minutes on them as sitting outside is not an option, when you walk out of the back door it was like walking into a heated oven or an over-heated sauna. Both of those terms describe a hot day and have lost their meaning through overuse but as a previous resident of Sydney [hot and sweaty during summer days] and Darwin [so hot and dry in Summer that the skin flakes off your hands and feet like fish-scales] I can safely say that today in Lip-City is one of the most hottest and unpleasant I have ever known. One of the most unpleasant because the most unpleasant was one day several years ago when I still worked on a cruiseliner during the Summer, when my I walked from the harbour of Lesbos, in to town when the mercury hit 50c. I nearly ended up suffering from heat exhaustion. I digress…

There are [thank goodness] four fans in the living room area and as I write they are all on their highest setting, going at full blast. It is though, still not what I would call “fresh” in here. I am though, in the lap of luxury compared to most neighbors. Think also for a moment about my numerous friends in caravans or tents on campingplaces as they have booked their holidays several months ago. And what about the ones who are in the holiday parks living in these cast-concrete panel homes that take on the summer heat like firebricks and of course, none of them have air-conditioning…

Discrete indoor summer nudity [or near nudity] is commonplace during these days but it can still get you in somekind of trouble. I like to run around with my top off during these days. But when I need to go outside in the garden I am surrounded by a two-meter high wooden fence. I don’t want to be a neighbour that was accused by his neighbor of flagrant nudity in front of his young daughters. The only way his girls could have seen them was by getting to the bedroom in their home and aiming binoculars in the direction of the garden!

We just need to sweat it out during the summer months and many take a bath every day, whether they need one or not. This can make driving on local buses a fragrant experience. Personally, as someone with a very poor sense of smell, I am grateful for my lot.

These sort of temperatures will I believe, continue through August then start to subside during September. So, as I open yet another bottle of cooling softdrink, (sugarfree of course in my good old days this would have been a beer.) I say cheers to you all living in more moderate climes, roll on winter!

The Old Sailor,