Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

MORAG LINDSAY: Spring has sprung and try as I might I can’t be grumpy

Spring - the season of cherry blossom and brighter days. Photo: Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire.
Spring - the season of cherry blossom and brighter days. Photo: Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire.

I have a tendency to rant here. And I’m not a ranty person as a rule.

But I never forget what a privilege it is to be granted this space in The Courier every week.

So when it seems like the world is going to hell, it feels like it’s my duty to draw attention to wrongs that better people than me might be encouraged to right.

And lord knows the world is going to hell this spring.

There are injustices being committed from Westminster to Mariupol, a cost of living crisis and lots of people on Twitter getting Very Cross Indeed.

But try as I might I can’t get up my dander up today.

Because here in Perthshire the sky is blue and cloudless, spring is in the air, and did you ever hear a blackbird singing in a tree you planted yourself?

I noticed my first rosebud this week. And my first aphids. I spent far longer admiring tulips than my younger, hipper self would ever have thought possible.

My front door’s been open from dawn to dusk. And I’ve given up on steering the bumblebees out of the house – ‘There’s sunshine on your hairy back little pal, you bumble around in here all you like’.

We’ve earned this spring – even more than usual

Unless you’re one of those oddballs who claim to thrive on cold and darkness (I respect your right to exist but I will NEVER understand you) spring is always such a relief.

Tulips are a springtime favourite. Photo: Shutterstock.

There are days in February and March when you start to wonder if it will ever happen.

And then you get a stretch of good weather and it feels like the world is shaking the weight of winter off its shoulders.

And after the two and a bit years we’ve lived through, it feels like we’ve really earned this one.

I caught up with old friends who I haven’t seen since before the pandemic last Saturday. I’m meeting another lot this weekend. Another the week after.

This season of new beginnings is living up to its hype.

Steven Macleod and wife Lorraine celebrated his 50th birthday at Perth Races this week. Photo: Kenny Smith/DCT Media.

And it’s not just me who’s breathing out.

The crowds are back at Perth Races. Hurrah for hats and hangovers.

Friends in Dundee tell me the trees in Dawson Park are heavy with spring cherry blossom.

Links Market returned to Kirkcaldy for the Easter Weekend – the first time it’s been staged since 2019.

Kirriemuir is preparing to welcome thousands of music fans for Bonfest next weekend after two years of virtual celebrations.

Bonfest chairman John Crawford and DD8 Music manager Scott Ferguson at the Bon Scott statue in Kirrie. Photo: Kim Cessford/DCT Media.

It’s a very different spring from 2021, and certainly compared to 2020.

And in the week Scotland ditched the last of its Covid rules, maybe we can dare to hope that things are finally looking up

A season for counting your blessings

The world is a rotten place but we’re relatively lucky, most of us.

There are people in Ukraine and elsewhere who’d give anything to stand under the blossom on their favourite tree, or chew over good times with old pals and a pint.

And there’s plenty to be angry about and plenty we need to fix.

But there’s plenty to be thankful for too and it does us no harm to stop and smell the roses sometimes.


Conversation