A small lamb admiring some apple blossom in flower-filled woodland surrounded by birds chirping…would probably be an indication that spring is on the way. Well, the twitchers here at Paradise Heights haven’t quite spotted the above idyll yet, but we are certainly primed and ready for the return of arguably our favourite month.

Lots of amazing things return during spring – Mother’s Day, the sound of a lawnmower, actual sunlight and the annual Mills & Boon Easter egg hunt. If that fairly accurate list doesn’t get you excited about spring, we might as well all stay south for the winter! To really ramp up the excitement though, we thought we’d go through our favourite signs of spring returning, with an accompanying ‘spring fact’, to give you a little lift when you see those welcome winter wanderers wandering back into town. And if that doesn’t make your smile spring, then surely my excessive use of amazing alliteration just did??

Anyway, on with the list…

1 Spring fever 

Spring fever is an actual thing! Commonly occurring when a sudden warm spell follows a long cold period; when the temperature rises, there’s a dilation or expansion of the blood vessels so that blood can be carried to the body surface where heat can be lost quickly. Some people experience an energetic feeling to this reaction.

2 Spring cleaning 

Windows open, dusters out, spring is back and it’s time to clean *everything*. It has been suggested that the origin of spring cleaning dates back to the Persian New Year where they practice “Khoneh Tekouni” which means “Shaking the house”. We recommend starting with some light dusting action followed by moderate vacuuming, build your strength before you attempt the ‘house shake’. 

3 Tweeting – without a hashtag in #sight

The birds are back from the south and return in full song mode. But did you know that baby birds have to learn to sing. They are all born with the ability to tweet and chirp but they must actually learn the specific songs of their species. It often isn’t until the following spring that the birds will be ready to sing off the same hymn sheet!

4 Flowers, flowers, flowers 

They’re welcomed back with open arms. Especially the good old daffs and lilies. An area along the California and Oregon border produces 95 percent of all bulbs grown in the world for the potted Easter lily market which is more than 11 million bulbs each year!

5 Mother’s Day 

Now on to our final and favourite fact. Next month, Mills & Boon will be throwing a fabulous Mother’s Day event in London’s Covent Garden. Featuring readings from Adele Parks and other Truly, Madly, Deeply authors, spend the afternoon chatting romance with a glass of bubbly in one hand and delicious cake in the other! Click here to join us!  

So we’ve all learnt something about this wonderful month right? A time to shake your house, expand your blood vessels, meet Adele Parks and learn to sing with birds. Yep, we can’t wait for spring to return.

What do you like about spring? Tell us in the comments section below…

By The Mills & Boon team