March 31, 2019 • 54

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #39: Hello April

In the first week of April the weather turned suddenly, unseasonably, insistently lovely. The sky was blue, the air warm and windless, and the sun beamed on the muddy ground with all the sweet impatience of June. Toward the fringe of the wood, the young trees were yellow with the first tinge of new leaves; woodpeckers laughed and drummed in the copses and, lying in bed with my window open, I could hear the rush and gurgle of the melted snow running in the gutters all night long~ Donna Tartt, The Secret History

Well, “Hello April.” I am very happy to see you.

We’ve been trailing spring for the past few weeks, catching days of warm and sunny weather, followed by chilly days of rain and wind.

Changeable Skies

Oh, how this spring of love resembleth, The uncertain glory of an April day, Which now shows all beauty of the Sun, And by and by a cloud takes all away.~William Shakespeare

In this time of year, the clouds and sun compete for dominance throughout the day.

Hello April in Florence.

The Call of the Outdoors

During the breaks in the clouds, Europeans flood the streets and the parks, eager to usher in spring.  In El Retiro Park in Madrid, people form long lines to rent boats and row in the lake.

Hello April in Retiro Park, Lisbon.

At all times of the day, people are out in the streets breathing in the freshness of spring.

Rua Augusta Arch, Lisbon.

The optimists wear their spring clothes, but the rest of us are convinced that a few more cooler days are ahead.

Searching for Signs of Spring

Still, everyone searches for signs of spring up in the trees, down on the ground, in the city and in the country.  I spotted this flowering plant on the terrace of our apartment in Madrid one warm afternoon.  The day before, the plant was dormant. 

Blossom by blossom the spring begins.~Algernon Charles Swinburne

Spring in Madrid.

With April comes a little spring fever.  I laughed when I saw this sign in a take-out window in Lisbon.

It’s spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you’ve got it, you want—oh, you don’t quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!― Mark Twain

Spring Fever, Lisbon, Portugal

The change of seasons is beautiful to behold.  This transition, governed by Mother Nature, is  delicate and ephemeral and ever-more precious.  I do not take it for granted.

We invite you to join Amy’s inspiring and beautiful Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #39 this week.  If you do, tag your post so that we can find it in the Reader.  Next week, it’s Tina’s turn to inspire us with challenge # 40.

I hope April brings you plenty of sunshine and inspiration–no matter where you are right now in this world.

Categories: Lens-Artists Photo Challenge

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54 replies »

    • Thank you, Tina. 🙂 🙂 I’m so glad you like this one. I loved the light in the Rua Augusta shot too. It was a beautiful evening after a rainy day. I’m glad you enjoyed the sign too. It made me laugh. Hope you’re still smiling after your trip out West.

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    • Thank you, Maureen! We are reminded of you as we go to restaurants and places that we’ve enjoyed together. We even went back to that great place in Fiesole that David discovered. I hope we can catch up at some later point in the next few months.

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  6. Loved the photos, Patti. I would be proud to have written that sign and I love the lights you caught in the arch shot. Mark Twain’s quote rang so true for me. Sometimes when I’m walking in the park on a spring day, on the back paths, finding hidden wildflowers, my heart feels as if it might burst with joy and longing.

    janet

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    • Hi, Janet. I’m so glad you love the sign, the shot of the arch and the quote. Twain said it so well. The beauty of spring is breathtaking, isn’t it? No wonder why we have “the fever.”

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