Wednesday 1 March 2023

Oprimist or Pessimist

 Let's look out of the window here in The Yorkshire Dales on the first Day of March - the first day of Meteorological Spring.   Sounds good doesn't it, but most of us - in the UK at any rate - think of the first day of Spring as March 21st and judging by the weather outside the said window it doesn't look much like Spring.   It is either a bright sunny day with frequent heavy showers, or it is a very wet day with now and again a burst of bright sunshine.  which ever way you look at it - if I had to  go out today I would have to get my M and S Duvet coat out of its hibernation bag on the wardrobe shelf and wear it, detachable hood and all.  It would be the first time it had seen the light of day this winter.   And it is forecast to get much colder next week.

 And the hundred or so crocuses I can see as I sit here - I think they are optimists too.   Do they snuggle down in the soil waiting for a warm day?  Do they pussyfoot!   They say (or they would if they could talk) - 'to hell with the weather, it's the first of March so come on lads and lasses, let's get going, let's show that lot out there above ground that come what may we think it's Spring, so they had better pull up their socks and get going.

We all know folk who will always search for some 'doom and gloom' side to every story/event, just as there are those who will latch on to some glimmer of hope, pleasure or happiness and broadcast it.   And I know - and so do you I am sure - which type makes us feel happier (even if it turns out not to happen).   Some King (may have been George V) is reputed to have said, 'I am feeling a little better today' on the morning he died.  And I bet for a while he made everyone feel optimistic.

So - the Weather is set to be much colder here in the UK next week.   Let's all be Optimists - let's not say  - get out your wooly hats and gloves, put the snow shovel by the garage door and fill the coal bunker.   Let's all shout - (all together now) - in four week's time it will be glorious April.

Have a happy March - it hasn't come in like a lamb but neither has it come in like a lion.   It will be totally at the whim of the Jet Stream - and long may it remain so.

26 comments:

jinxxxygirl said...

I'm a total optimist surrounded by pessimists .... glad your on my team Pat! Happy Spring! Hugs! debs

Donna said...

80F here in Texas today...Almost 27 celsius! And it's only the first of March!
Crazy weather...
But...Happy March! lolol
hugs
Donna

Barbara Anne said...

Another optimist here and I hope when April arrives in the UK in 4 week's time, spring arrives there, too.
We've had no real winter in our part of Virginia (90 miles inland from the Atlantic Ocean), the crocus bloomed 2 weeks ago so are just about gone, and the Bradford Pears and Forsythia are in bloom - nearly a month early.

Hugs!

busybusybeejay said...

In the past we have said.”Will there be any daffodils out for St David’s Day”.This year there are lots.
Barbarax

bornfreev said...

I am more an optimist. But, I do understand that I need the gloom, cold and rain. Without them the sunny days and warmth would not be as glorious for me. I think I need a bit of everything. Victoria in CT, USA.

su-zee said...

I have to say I am a pessimist-my mind runs ahead anticipating all the bad things that can happen. Thankfully I am married to an eternal optimist and he evens me out. Our 2 sons are also upbeat about life and I am glad they take after their Dad and not me.

John "By Stargoose And Hanglands" said...

For a couple of years my first job in the morning was to dress a young man who'd been brain-damaged in a road traffic accident. He could no longer walk or speak but he could do something that I've always wished I could do: he woke up every day with a big smile on his face. And if I stubbed my toe or dropped something that was enough to set him off laughing. Very hard not to be upbeat after knowing someone like that.

Anonymous said...

Snow and ice last night, freezing fog this morning, then sunny and 50 degrees this afternoon. Go figure. Pat in Pennsylvania

Latane Barton said...

And, a happy March to you. Hopefully warmer weather and springtime flowers will soon be the norm.

The Weaver of Grass said...

John - I do so agree. For some years I taught in what were then called 'Special' schools.

Susan said...

Happy March! Crocus are hardy plants and they are known to pup up and even bloom when there is still a bit of snow on the ground. The crocus is a true optimist.

Heather said...

Our weather certainly keeps us all guessing even after we've listened to the forecast. I like to think I am an optimist, and as someone once said 'there is no bad weather, only the wrong clothing'.

Red said...

Spring tends to have weather extremes. Since we are so fragile we get full of hope for spring and then when bad weather comes we fall deeply into disappointment. Good post to make us look on the bright side.

Granny Sue said...

Definitely in like a lamb here in West Virginia. But I planted tomato, pepper, greens and herb seeds in pots today so I am looking ahead and not worrying!

Chris said...

Today was very much like yesterday so it's hard to say if there was any improvement with the arrival of March. No flowers here yet (unless they are poking up through the snow cover) but we can dream of what this month will bring! I guess I am an optimist.

Joanne Noragon said...

March was a lamb today, in Ohio. Sixty warm and beautiful degrees, before it's back to the forties the rest of the week.

Terra said...

I tend to be an optimist and planted primroses and petunias in pots on my patio a couple days ago. Soon I will buy a cherry tree to add to my garden, a son will plant it since my days of kneeling and heavy digging are gone. But oh the magic of spring.

Cro Magnon said...

And I saw that it had SNOWED in Barcelona yesterday.

Librarian said...

Frosty nights here in the south of Germany, with a cold wind blowing during the day that makes being out for a walk in the sun much less pleasant that it looks from inside my flat. Like you, the meteorological start of spring does not mean the same to me as the 21st of March does - the day before my birthday! In my memory, my childhood birthdays were always sunny.

I consider myself to be a realistic optimist. My husband's sudden death a bit over 13 years ago meant a change of perspective for me; most of the time, I manage to see the good side to almost any situation, but of course I have my sad and downcast moments like everyone else.

thelma said...

Someone had a sense of humour. Like stray puppies I pick them up ;)

"WARNING: this weekends forecast - 6 to 8 inches of snowdrops with drifting in many places around Britain"

Rachel Phillips said...

Being an oprimist sounds like fun. I am an optimist.

Derek Faulkner said...

I'm a permanent pessimist. Being an optimist leads to too many let downs when things don't go as one hoped, being a pessimist means things can only get better.

Brenda said...

I live in Florida so…my home state of WV, friends said lamb…seems to be same in Indy, where rest of my family lives, and I did for awhile. Out like a lion lol…positive here. I just say…oh well and move on.

Tom Stephenson said...

I heard today that adders - the snake variety - are in danger of extinction because they are coming out a month earlier than they ought to, plus 60 million pheasants released every year are killing them. Yes, apparently pheasants kill adders. My problem is that I am too optimistic.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Thank you. I would advise everyone who arrives on this post - by design or by accident to read all the responses- they certainly left me feeling in good heart!

The bike shed said...

I'm an optimistic realist - is that allowed?