This year, spring has finally arrived on Lygra on the 3rd of May. Yet its coming was subtle, almost shy; it asked you to quiet down for a moment before you noticed.
Two signs in particular marked the transition into this new season. First, a cuckoo arrived and began to call with his old, familiar tune - a sound that, year after year, has announced the rebirth of nature. The second sign, long awaited, was the opening of the first cherry-tree blossoms.
Here on our farm, we have yet another reliable herald of spring: the start of the lambing season. This year our first six lambs arrived on the 23rd of April. By now I’ve already lost count of how many there are, as they have started to carry out drag races in gangs, making it rather hard to keep the books. Also, our Villsau - an old Norwegian breed - live outside year-round, even when giving birth. In the next two to three weeks the remaining ewes should deliver their lambs (on average 1.5 each), bringing us to roughly 60 to 70 in total for the season.
The weather during the last two weeks of lambing was beautifully fair, with plenty of sunshine and temperatures almost climbing to 18 degrees Celsius. Then, on the 5th of May, winter paid us a brief visit - at least for a few hours and centimeters of snow and temperatures between 0–5 degrees. But the May sun is already strong and the days are getting longer fast. Soon the clouds parted, and the freshly fertilised fields glowed a lush, vibrant green once more in the evening light at 09:30 pm.
Våren er her for å bli. Spring has come to stay — even on Lygra.