Five Ideas to Celebrate the Spring Equinox

Today is officially the first day of Astronomical Spring, heralded by the Vernal Equinox: where day and night are finally of equal length once again. It’s a time of balance and transition as the days get lighter and longer, and I don’t know about you but I am so ready for it! Here are five ideas to celebrate the Spring Equinox, even though we’re still in lockdown in the UK.

(image includes previously gifted Denby crockery)

Spring Decorating:

After a spot of Spring cleaning and decluttering, I always feel ready to decorate the flat with fresh flowers, lighter bedding, throws, pastel tablecloths and new candles to welcome in the new season. I start now and by Easter decor is reaching Springtime fever pitch! Gather branches to hang decorative eggs on (my faves are these handmade ones by Pops and Piaf) and embrace a pastel colour palette.

Spring Crafting:

Take inspiration from the bursting blossoms and emerging flowers in your Spring crafts: my favourite thing to make at this time of year is these Spring tissue paper pom-poms. I’m also keen to craft my own blossom branches and naturally dye eggs this year (this is something my Gran used to do) and I’ll share the step by step if my experiments are fruitful!

Bake Something Special:

With a wee bit more time on our hands at the weekends and still nowhere to go (!) I’ve been enjoying some more time-consuming bakes, such as hot cross buns or croissants. I shared my round-up of recipes last week, or why not try a Spring-inspired babka or twice-baked almond croissants? It’s so satisfying to make something with your hands – and it’s a bonus when it’s this delicious. If you can’t eat it all yourself, I’m sure some doorstep deliveries would be appreciated by friends and family nearby.

Pack a Picnic:

The first al fresco meal of the year is always a long-awaited treat for me. Is it just me, or does a cup of tea just taste better outside?! Pop a simple picnic – even just a flask and a couple of pastries – in a basket and head to a quiet green space nearby. We are lucky to live near a nature reserve and are planning to head there early soon with our picnic brunch to avoid the busiest parts of the day.

Stay Slow:

With the return of school (at least to blended learning) and a roadmap out of lockdown, it seems that “normality” – whatever that may look like – is on the horizon. I know I’m not the only one who has enjoyed stepping back from certain things in life, and want to maintain some of the less frantic aspects of the last twelve months. Make sure you take time to rest (my body was crying out for sleep this week), particularly in the days leading up to the change of the clocks next week – make up for that lost hour!

How are you celebrating the Spring Equinox?