Springtime momentos
These are my momentos – short, personal journal entries I write almost daily, capturing the moments I notice and appreciate. As I’ve shared in my creative manifesto, I believe there’s an abundance of beauty, joy and magic in the world; we just need to be open to seeing it.
I often find beauty in the smaller, quieter moments – those that pass by in the blink of an eye or go unnoticed if we're not paying attention. They’re not grand gestures, but often found in nature or in simple human connection, and always full of meaning. These are the moments worth savouring – and they’re a constant source of inspiration for my design work.
This is a reflection on a season of early springtime firsts, when so many new things are unfolding all around us.
A big, alien-like metallic blue beetle legging it up the cycle path, as if competing at the London Marathon, caught my attention today. I scooped it up with a stick, rescuing it just in time before a pram and cyclist energetically wheeled by.
As if out of a Brambly Hedge picture book, a cluster of pale yellow primroses adorn the badgers' front door. Months ago, a man I had stopped to chat to about squirrels had told me about this badger sett, but despite my almost daily walks in the woods, I had never found it – until today. I wonder how many badgers call this place home, as I noticed several doorways in the bank, surrounded by pots of primroses.
A rabbit hopped silently into the wild undergrowth, nearly invisible to anyone else. But not to me :)
Doing the pavement dance with a man and his dog – a handsome Alsatian who I’d seen just the day before. These small encounters, always followed by smiles, apologies and thank yous, never fail to warm my heart. A fleeting moment of human connection with a stranger.
“Ooooooh” is what whimsical Mr Tree seems to be joyfully sharing. Like a Mr Egg Head – but this time, two eyes, a nose and a mouth in the shape of an ‘o’, and a moustache stuck to the trunk of a tree. Could he, too, be excited about the Spring Equinox? What a delight it was to spot him for the first time after walking the same woodland path countless times, now seen from a different perspective.
Feeling the warmth of sunshine on my skin while reading my latest book club read with my post-lunch coffee. Taking time just for me.
An introductory call with a forest bathing practitioner and mental health support worker felt like a perfect alignment. How wonderful to discover how we could work together on a website build. It felt like a dream come true.
The room was packed but we managed to snag seats at the back. (I’ve always wondered how people endure sitting in the front rows – do they not get a crooked neck or strain their eyes, being that close to the big screen?) We had free tickets to see The Penguin Lessons, with Steve Coogan. I’d love to see a behind-the-scenes feature on how they trained the penguin – I’m pretty sure it was a real one, not a clever CGI animation thingy.
Being serenaded by a symphony of birdsong during my morning walk through the woods – great and black tits, nuthatches, blackbirds, wrens, chiffchaffs, dunnocks, robins and song thrushes. Bliss for the ears and soul.
The pretty peacock butterfly fluttering her wings and basking from the garden fence, soaking up her fair share of vitamin D.
A cluster of forget-me-nots self-seeded on our lawn. If we’re not careful, our lawn will soon be blue, rather than green. I read in Andrew Timothy O’Brien’s email newsletter that the ring around the centre of the flower changes from yellow to white once a bee’s slurped up the available nectar. Just incredible.
As I wandered through the library, I mused on how much things had changed. Once a place of complete silence or shushes, it now buzzed with a gentle hum. People were still respectful, but the atmosphere felt more open somehow – more alive. I browsed through the aisles, drawn in by the titles, the familiar authors and well-designed covers. It was a quiet joy to meander for half an hour, soaking in the space.
A bouquet of spring flowers arrived from my postie today, accompanied by a note that read, “What a star! Thank you so much for everything.” Such a genuinely wonderful surprise from a lovely client. How lucky am I to work with such kind and generous people?
“Quick! Come and see!” shouts my husband excitedly. I jump out of bed, rush to the window and see a big hedgehog bumbling about our lawn. Despite living here for almost three years, I’ve never seen a hedgehog in our area – let alone in our back garden. As a kid, I used to collect hedgehog ornaments; my sister collected badgers. I’m not sure why we did this, but everywhere we went – holidays and days out – we’d add to our collections. How cute they are!
Oh, Pinterest, I think I love you. A little scroll turned into an inspiration spiral, but the good kind. Colour palettes, typography, interiors, textures, patterns, flowers… endless ideas, beautifully pinned. I'm brimming with ideas for boards to inspire and support my clients, but for now, I’ve started simple with seasonal boards: spring, summer, autumn, winter.
One brave bluebell in the woods. I looked long and hard but could only spot one. My first of hopefully many.
I find myself browsing Amazon, not to buy books, but to study the teaser graphics that promote them. The testimonials, the review highlights, the layout – some authors (or their designers) really get it right. What a fun job that must be, crafting those little windows into a book. A dream brief for someone.
Flouncy and ruffle-tastic! The very first double daffodils are saying hello. Planting up a mixed bag of Narcissus Double is akin to opening a Christmas chocolate advent calendar and not knowing what you’re getting. Will it be a sunshine yellow and orange ruffle celebration or a softer peach-centred pastel yellow? Oh, the joy, the magic.
Mr Robin feeding soon-to-be Mrs Robin(?) at the garden bird feeder – a gentlemanly courtesy during their courtship. So romantic. Here’s hoping for baby robins soon. And that reminds me, I must treat myself to a copy of this book: Bob the Robin: A Love Letter to Britain’s Favourite Bird by Tony Putman. I so love his videos.
I gathered a delicate posy of springtime flowers from my garden to pop on my desk. The rich, heady scent of the Russian snowdrops (Puschkinia) – something I’d not known before – and their pretty pale blue and white striped blooms, complemented by bobbly blue grape hyacinths (Muscari), crisp white Anemone 'The Bride' and glory-of-the-snow (Chionodoxa). I’d planted them all last October, and now their beauty fills both the room and garden with life.
These moments are mine and I’m grateful for every single one. As the seasons shift, so too does my perspective – there’s always more beauty, more wonder, waiting to be found if we’re open to it.
What momentos will you take with you this springtime?
A note of thanks
This post is in part inspired by a few people I admire in different ways and I want to say thank you:
Dani Thornton-Walker – for encouraging me to celebrate the little things that make me smile and laugh each day
Bee Higgins – for reminding me to write from the heart
Niall Doherty – for sharing his own momentos since 2013 and inspiring me to do the same (finally!)
Nigel Slater – for beautiful, story-rich reflections in A Thousand Feasts, certainly worth savouring