In addition to all the colors and shapes that spring growth produces, it is also the scents of the flowers that can trigger moments of happiness in you.
On my runs this week, I noticed the white flowers that are currently dominating the roadsides. After the brilliant burst of color of the first flowers, white is now dominant and sets beautiful accents in the meanwhile completely green bushes and trees.
The white may be visually more restrained, but many of these flowers exude a lovely fragrance and bring back memories associated with them. The scent of the black locust trees in particular has stayed with me. And every year, the week of the black locust blossoms is a highlight. This sweet, chewing gum-like scent simply makes me happy. I remember how we used to collect the blossoms to make flower carpets for the Corpus Christi procession through the village. Or a row of these trees that stood by the metro station, just outside of Milan, where I took the train home every day after work. Today, these trees have disappeared and been replaced by an industrial estate. But back in the 80s of the last century, this station was surrounded by the greenery of the Po Valley, through which the Naviglio Martesana ran right nearby and gave the station its name: Villa Fiorita.
Memories from different lifes
Later in Germany, sunny days on the Rhine or at quarry ponds with countless robinia trees come to mind. Just like in the forest, on the edge of which I had my first apartment and of which I have many fond memories. So I’m all the more pleased that the locust trees line some of the streets in Basel too and bring the scent into the city that evokes such happy memories in me.
Beauty along the run track
The magical appearance of the grain fields
What also surprises me every year at this season are the grain fields. Suddenly they are there! They seem to appear out of nowhere and are already half a meter high when I first notice them. I love the soft surface of the fields, especially when the wind blows over them. And they also have a scent. Not as strong and loud as robinia blossoms, but definitely a scent that belongs to summer.
A wheat field in Germany
Being productive
I didn’t just spend the week sniffing flowers, looking at cornfields and reminiscing. On the contrary. Most of my time was again taken up with all kinds of more or less unspectacular work in the office. But I also found time for art. The first of my new king series is taking shape and has received its first coats of paint. With all the green out there, I’m working here with the complementary color of green, namely shades of purple.
Work in progress
So a perfect week comes to an end, in which I have found space for nature, work and art – the balance that I always strive for, but unfortunately very often fail to achieve.
