Looking for paradise - in Fineshade!

This account by a Fineshade resident describes a special experience on 23 April.

It’s early morning. Sunlight filters through the trees. The light wind has drifted all traffic noise away from here. A Song Thrush calls – loud, insistent and repetitive. A Blackbird sings tunefully. There are Chiffchaffs and Willow Warblers back from their winter in Africa, all competing in the new bright green bud-bursting woodland.

At my feet the ground is a riot of blue and pink. Bluebells and Early Purple Orchids growing amongst the deep green Dogs Mercury. The occasional Lords and Ladies shows bright orange berries in its pristine green sheath. There is the all-pervading scent of new vibrant growth.

Suddenly from, it seems, the misty distance comes the haunting sound of “my” first Cuckoo of the year. A broken note… “Cuck-cuck-oo”. It needs practice.

A perfect moment – a paradise moment – all senses alert. I can’t imagine Paradise as a permanent state – I’d become sated and just not notice it was there.

What about your paradise?