Spring officially began here in New Zealand on the first day of September, which was three days ago, so I’m a bit slow off the mark, but life gets in the way. As this has been the mildest winter in recorded history(!), the changes are not as dramatic as usual, but we are very happy to see them and to welcome the seasonal warming with open arms. 
One of the reliable signs is the new growth on our dozen orchard trees. The first to display is our apricot, and I managed to take a little time out to spend a couple of minutes with its new blossoms this evening. There are also a few buds developing on other trees, and I hope to bring you more about them soon. We are embarking on a week-long family excursion the day after tomorrow, so it may be a while before I log back in.
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krikitarts 
The first sign of spring always gives the spirit a lift. Enjoy your time out from blogging!
It’s quite a bit colder where we’re going, so the physical arrival of spring should be quite a bet behind what we’re seeing here. I hope we can manage to stay warm enough.
You may be interested in the multilingual trail that our word apricot traveled to get to its current form:
https://www.etymonline.com/word/apricot
Fascinating–and what a great website. Thanks for sending this, Steve.
Sure thing. Etymology rocks!
The blossoms are beautiful — and what a beautiful week you have ahead of you. I confess a bit of envy at the thought of cold, but our heat will break soon enough. I’m thinking your destination might include mountains; that’s a pleasant thought, too. Enjoy!
Yes, there are mountains, as one of the main reasons for going there is for winter sports (for the younger set). Batty and her other half have bought new snowboards and The Sprout has been taking skiing lessons. I’m really looking forward to reporting on our adventures.
Have a good trip, my friend – and stay safe! :)
Oh, have a wonderful time! We all need a week-long excursion! And Happy Spring to you all.
Lovely flowers and there is something to be said for the feeling of rebirth once spring blossoms start to bloom.
Happy Trails. Have a wonderful time wherever you are headed.
Again, my thanks. The blossoms have increased easily fifty-fold by now, and we are looking forward to a happy harvest from our modest orchard of a dozen trees this year.