May

London trees in May are a lush deep green, as though freshly painted. The new foliage arrives with all the sudden intensity of new adolescence, abruptly changing the face of the city. 

Spring may have been cold and overcast, but the long, light days offer spirit-lifting relief from the grey gloom of winter. Cautiously, Londoners are emerging from their chrysalises.

I have got the walking bug. Energised by the spring air, I join the morning rush-hour alongside the canal, dodging the cyclists and joggers as we all negotiate the tricky narrow tunnel paths. ‘Be more tortoise and less hare’, advises a sign as the droves of bicycles speed past. 

Slow down – what’s the hurry? In a few months the luscious green leaves will be flat and dry, tarnished with city fumes and the heaviness of a London summer. I want to inhale and hold this exquisite, fleeting month of May.