Has spring sprung?

As I write this, I am sitting by my balcony door, listening to birds sing and enjoying the bit of warmth on my arm from the slant of sunshine streaming in. In the courtyard below, tulips are pushing through the soil. My clematis is already showing signs of awakening. It's March 14th and already Stockholm feels like it's in the throes of spring.

But should I trust it? Swedish weather is not something that ought to be trusted--at least when it comes to spring and the first days of summer. Just when you think you can bid adieu to your winter coat and scarf and pull out your lightweight jacket, a cold spell appears out of nowhere and throws you for a loop. I should know--it's happened to me plenty of times. And in Stockholm, you could go weeks without snow in March and April, have loads of warm sunny days and then suddenly--on Walpurgis (known to Swedes as "Valborg") it snows!

Tord has already taken off his winter coat and begun wearing a lighter coat. He's brave. I just don't trust this weather. The only step I've taken towards admitting it may be spring is that my curling boots have been replaced with a cute pair of shoes I bought while I was in the US. But if I see so much as a snow flurry, the curling boots are coming out of the closet again.

Today I took a walk along Odengatan and saw three teenagers stride past clad in super tiny miniskirts--sans tights or leggings--and sandals. I think it's a little early for sandals. But this is one sure sign of spring in Stockholm--when teenage girls stop wearing jeans and switch to minis and no tights. Even women my age begin doing the same thing. The temperature may drop to zero at some point during the evening, but they will refuse to put on so much as a scarf because--hey, it's spring! Then they get sick and blame their sniffles on their colleagues and cast murderous glares at those of us whose sneezes are due to allergies and not colds or anything remotely contagious.

But I can't wait for warmer weather. I want to sit on my balcony in the evenings and enjoy a glass of wine, a plate of cheese and strawberries...read a book or listen to music and just relish in the art of simply "being".

It may be a while until that sort of weather makes its appearance in Stockholm, but it's coming. And I won't waste a minute of it.