Spring leaves

What? Spring leaves? But it has barely even arrived here yet!

No, leaves as in leaf. Small, light green, but definitely leafy. There have been some flowers already, they seem to be in more of a hurry than the leaves. Can’t wait to spread pollen, you know. But this bush actually has leaves. And it is not alone. Yesterday on my way home from work I saw whole trees beginning to green, further up in the valley where there is more sun.

And further up in the hills I saw small heaps of snow still, in the shadows. Spring is a weird and varied thing here in Norway. And beautiful, but it is not easy to convey that beauty in a photo, because it depends on all the other things around. This bush was special because the other trees and bushes around were still dark. It was the first.  We tend to remember our firsts, and our lasts if we know. Each of the two has its own poignant beauty, that a lens cannot catch but only the heart.