Hygge Highlights #12

Has the Green Man won the battle? Is Spring finally here?

Last year’s Narcissus 'Tête à Tête' - all photos my own

Welcome to this week’s Spring loading dose of Hygge. If you’re new to my weekly Sunday evening newsletter of “Hygge Highlights” - in a nutshell, it’s a community supported gratitude journal of sorts. Sharing our magical moments, feelings that felt warm and cosy or captured the essence of what is good. Hygge is about the everyday experience, not about material things so much. It’s also important to know Hygge is as much a Spring thing, as it is an Autumn or Winter thing. Hygge is for everyone. You can acquaint yourself more through the hyperlinks (above) to previous roundups.

Let’s start with some of the good vibes and seasonal feelings you shared with me through comments and chats this week…

“We had a bank holiday here so an extra day to have a wonder down to our local nature reserve. Just quietly going about things, is the best way to calm my soul.”

“I did quite a bit of embering over the weekend, just hanging with my hubby. No writing, or even reading. Just quiet togetherness. ❤️”

“I can feel the energy of autumn creeping in though the weather is still very much like summer.”

“Seeing and feeling the change in the garden and environment, and the longer hours of light.”

“The wild plum blossom being the first thing I spot peaking above the glasshouse when I draw the curtain in the morning.”

Thank you for gifting your hygge moments with me, no matter how grand or small, I do so appreciate hearing them all.

Prunus cerasifera / “Thundercloud” Wild Plum Blossom - all photos my own

This week my friend Katherine reminded me about how traditionally in East Asia, in Japan especially, they observe 72 microseasons, each lasting only about 5 days. Like Katherine, I think it’s a truly wonderful way to go deep and fully immerse yourself and appreciate the unique lifespan, indeed how naturally some species, plants, flowers really are only at their peak for such a short time. I also love how evocative and descriptive the names are, for each of these short microseasons. This week here in Aotearoa, New Zealand is the equivalent to March 1–5 草木萌動 Sōmoku mebae izuru or the season of “Grass sprouting and trees budding.”

I hope to share more from this ancient Japanese almanac and from our local Maramataka: Mahuru Māori in my upcoming newsletter for the Ostara or Spring / Vernal Equinox Sabbat which I will publish with the New Moon on Friday the 15th of September at 13:40.

A “Green Man” I crafted a few years ago - all photos my own

Here are some other Spring like hyggelig moments I noticed, experienced this week…

• While nothing quite like the thick yellow carpets of the Spring display in Hagley Park, Ōtautahi Christchurch we admired yesterday. At home, finally, having had and enjoyed some warmer days and lighter, barely frosts overnight our daffodils too, have burst forth, and the first shoots from my potted tulips are emerging too.

• We rearranged, disentangled the wind chimes and cleaned down our deck to enjoy these forthcoming blooms, more frequent chats, morning and afternoon cuppas, late night tipples outside.

• I got stuck in an area of our (rather wild overgrown) garden and ripped out a opportunist wild blackberry bramble, amazing the root system it had managed in a fairly short time. Brambles have their place on our property and we do love collecting the berries in February, this one however was being very rude and had to go and I’m pleased to report only one fairly subtle scratch on my forearm.

If this "Hygge Highlights" brought a smile, please do consider sharing your own special moments with us. I, we all love to hear from you and any things you have felt inspired or moved by, your seasonal observations, fun things you have seen or tasted. I’m always delighted and fiercely appreciate when you share my posts with others or restack the post to help grow our hygge community, inspiring, sharing more of our everyday magical experiences.

Seasons Blessings 💫

Bron