Gutters full of petals

Tuesday 1st May

And after the downpours a glimpse of sunshine breaking through the clouds has brought a most welcome touch of warmth to all our hearts.  And as I stride out hopeful that May will bring forth the flowers that March winds and April showers have prepared us for I notice that one result of the recent horrendous rain is that we now have gutters full of petals.  The wind that accompanied the wet has stripped most of the tree blossom and blown it down onto the paths and roads, the rain in its turn swept them into the gutter, where huge puddles have gently evaporated with the early morning sunshine leaving blankets of white and pink petals all over the gutters.  What a lovely sight and so temporary too, before we know it this lovely sight will be gone, the petals having now served their purpose, the trees hopefully now all pollinated, they can wither and die quickly turning to a brown slush that will be swept away when the rain, never far away returns.  Enjoy the sight while you can, for like snowflakes out of season they will soon evaporate.  And remember that though we may not be rich and famous; we may spend most of our lives in the gutter, but even here occasionally it is filled with petals.