Spring has sprung in Heavenly Beverley.

Spring has come earlier than usual to the House that Rocks. We have had above average temperatures right through August. Our deciduous trees and shrubs are blooming and budding. The natives have erupted with  spectacular colours - reds, oranges and pinks, whites and blues. The cheerful, nodding daisy impersonators, gazanias, are flowering with shades from bright yellow to deepest red. I have taken courage in hand and planted vulnerable new season seedlings, hoping they have enough shelter in case of a cold snap.

Frost is still a strong possibility. The keeper of the garden, our ancient mulberry, has not sprouted its first leaf as yet. It won't do so until we've seen the last of the frost. A very clever tree, our mulberry. So, I doubt the really warm weather is here just yet. We are quite glad of that - last summer was the hottest on record. We had six months of some real scorchers and we see no reason why this coming summer won't follow suit.

Thankfully, we invested in a absolute life saver last spring - our above ground pool. At 3.6 metres across, the pool is the perfect size for us to cool off on hot evenings. The water level comes all the way up to my thighs, but when I sit down, I'm submerged up to my chin.

We are currently considering an air conditioner for our bedroom. We have used fans for the last four summers, but they are not quite cutting it. Our external bedroom wall faces west and gets very very hot. And Michael is still having issues with his body thermostat, with sweating making him sleepless and restless at night. Whether his symptoms pass in time or not, the luxury of having a cool bedroom to sleep in is looking very attractive. Let's face it, we deserve a bit of soft living!

Green is everywhere. And there will be more green after the thirty one millilitres we had yesterday. That may not sound much to people living elsewhere. But we live in a Mediterranean climate and four hundred millilitres of rain or thereabouts is a good year. With the dry heat of our summer approaching, we are delighted at every drop of rain we get.

From my point of view, here are the pros and cons of springtime in Heavenly Beverley.

Pros -

• open windows and doors. Fresh air removes the smell of "son" in guest bedroom.
• thawed toes. Icy toes seem heavier.
• less layers of clothes. Deletes the need to take off clothes at night when we light up the tile fire.
• washing drying in the sun. Just love the smell of air dried towels.
• more daylight - to potter in the garden.
• less morning fog - good to see where we're going!

Cons -

• blowflies. No other explanation necessary.
• B52 sized mosquitoes. See above.
• weeds. Including double gees the size of giant squid.
• whipper snippers. Michael came in yesterday looking like the Incredible Hulk!

Spring is fantastic. We have yet to start the chore of watering to keep the garden alive. We have yet to feel the blast of full summer heat. Physical work is still pleasurable. The weather is changeable. We don't have the chance to get bored with the weather as the cold fronts are still blasting through, but are quickly replaced by glorious days. And this cycle repeats.

Michael's birthday is on this coming Thursday. Much loved by all of us, he signifies spring. He is bright and alive and energetic and enthusiastic. After the bleakness of his life threatening illness in autumn, his recovery is one of my reasons for being. I am hoping that as spring progresses, Michael will keep getting better and better. Totally well, which I think he has not been for a very long time.

I love summer very much, but spring in Heavenly Beverley is pretty good this year.