Wishing For Spring
After the snow in January - I looked out into my garden last week and noticed some Snowdrops and thought, although it's still winter, spring is soon going to be on its way – and I can't wait!!
It's a long-standing joke here at Stella Books that I feel the cold - and come in with many jumper layers in the winter (and sometimes even in the summer!), with blankets to go over my knees and occasionally even heat packs! So I look forward to the warmer days and longer hours of daylight that spring (and summer beyond) bring.
One of my favourite things about the spring time is seeing all the baby animals - spring lambs, baby goats, little cows, piglets - really anything small and cute! At least once during the spring/summer time I have to visit a local farm or petting zoo to see all the new animals. What's better than some fresh air, spring sunshine and adorable baby animals to make you smile, after being cooped up for the winter?!
Here in Tintern during the spring season, the local Parva Farm hold a sheep exhibition called ‘See the Spring Lambs’ where visitors can see and stroke ewes and lambs of various breeds and sometimes bottle-feed orphaned lambs.
During holiday breaks, away with my husband, we also usually visit any local wildlife parks, farms or zoos. One of my favourite visits was a few years ago, near Exeter - a farm where you could be very hands-on with the animals - even having a cuddle with their newest piglets. On another occasion at a small farm near Surrey, we had a beautiful baby lamb following us all around the farmyard and were highly amused watching baby goats having fun head-butting!
Working at Stella Books, and also cataloguing books for Roses Books, means that I get to see a lot of children's books - many with animal or farmyard themes. The titles for younger children are sometimes interactive – with pop-up features or in board book format. Then there are the countless animal stories for all ages, with beautiful illustrations by many famous artists. So even in the depths of winter, I can view these books and look forward to the fun to come, wishing that spring would hurry up and arrive!
Contributed by Joanne
(Published on 30th Oct 2014 )
