As we peep cautiously out after the darkest of winters, we should celebrate the hope and optimism that the arrival of the new season brings. Welcome to spring, the happiest time of year.

Arriving in March and running through May, this season of renewal has been shown to directly influence human happiness and zest for life. So now, after a year of unprecedented darkness, the arrival of spring offers greatest symbol of hope that nature can deliver. 

The sun rises earlier, and sets later, we start to enjoy more daylight and spend more time outdoors again, we watch as nature throws off the shackles of winter and comes out of hibernation: we hear bird song once again, we watch daffodils bloom and the spring lambs, seeming too small to be out in the chill of a spring morning, swell our hearts with their innocent bleats.

Access to nature lifts the spirits, improving both mental and physical health. The big skies and wide open spaces of national parks, like Dartmoor, have been proven to reduce the age related risk of ill health according to studies in The Netherlands, Canada and Japan.

Food re-inspires us too. For me, nothing better signals the arrival of spring than the sight, and distinctive aroma, of wild garlic and at this time of year the shadier corners of my Devon garden are carpeted with its pungent, pointed green leaves. Popping up on roadsides, gardens, and hedgerows, with endless options for soups, fish and pesto this prolific member of the onion family is a favourite of foragers. And while wild nettles may no longer be a regular vegetable choice today, they too are abundant and edible. Many years ago my grandmother would send my reluctant father out to pick them because, when steamed, they too are a nutritious free food, no longer the cursed and spiteful garden weed.

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So it’s both true and official – spring is the happiest and unsurprisingly most optimistic season of all. And, as we peer out from Covid’s trenches, its arrival brings hope and opportunity for reinvention.