Spring is Springing!

I've been ill for nearly two weeks now, and confined to barracks. I finally ventured out in public yesterday, and what did I find? Daffodils (not quite a host of golden ones, but almost)! Blossom on trees! Crocuses! Spring is in the air, I tells you! Breeding season!!

It turns out to be just the right time to be reading Chaucer - I give you the opening of the Canterbury Tales:

Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote
The droghte of March hath perced to the roote,
And bathed every veyne in swich licour
Of which vertu engendred is the flour;
Whan Zephirus eek with his sweete breeth
Inspired hath in every holt and heeth
The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne
Hath in the Ram his half cours yronne,
And smale foweles maken melodye,
That slepen al the nyght with open ye
(So priketh hem Nature in hir corages),
Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages,
And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes,
To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes;
And specially from every shires ende
Of Engelond to Caunterbury they wende,
The hooly blisful martir for to seke,
That hem hath holpen whan that they were seeke.

I'm writing about Chaucer's dream visions today, most of which, being based on the Roman de la Rose, feature a walled garden in springtime. Outdoors, the Wolfson gardens are also perking up: purple crocuses, lots of daffs and it won't be long before the bluebells are out. I want to go on holiday!! I know my rights! It's spring! This means I deserve (a) a mating season, and (b) a holiday. Chaucer was right - the weather warms up, nature comes back to life and folk then long to go on pilgimages - I'd just like my pilgrimage to be to the Swiss Alps, please. Thank you.