St Andrews has just split open, and suddenly the sky is high and blue, the flowers are everywhere, and the days are long. No more 4 hours of light a day; we're goin' on about 14! I tell you, this is the most blissful change. Today, I cried twice thinking about leaving.

1. Each morning, our rectangular walled-in garden has been poured full with light, and slowly, throughout the day, there is less and less until there is just a sliver at the top of the wall, and then the light has seeped out the door for the day. This pattern is like a warm blanket, everyday. I love.

I'm liking shadows; they mean there is light.

1. You knew it was coming: cooking. I love being in my kitchen again, the change that has occurred in the farm basket. This week's ooaahhs included rhubarb (coming soon) and purple sprouting broccoli. I love.

That's penne with purple broccoli, chili, and lemon crumbs (recipe here).

1. There are kids, scads of kids, all over town. They are chattering in strollers, trying to sit down on the sidewalk and yanking their moms arms down. They are rolling down the hill by the aquarium and they are waiting for ice cream. I think I thunk that spring has sprunk. I love.

1. The sky, the sky, the beachy sky. The clouds, can you believe? They're trying to take up the space up there, I'm sure. I love.

They fly above Hamilton Hall, completely garbed in scaffolding for a renovation. One of the most famous St Andrews' sights, it was originally built by a disgruntled golfer who'd been rejected from the Royal and Ancient Golf Club. So he went and outdid them all with this glorious red (usually) gem, soon to be the most expensive real estate in Scotland. Walker adores watching the crane from our garden.

And, in the evening, this:

1. Coats, and boots, oh my! While I will never write a post solely about my outfits, my cool Italian 'souvenir' coats from my hub's super-cool parents are begging me to show up on the blog. (And also, at long last, two pairs of boots for those who asked.) I love. Even if my pained photo-shoot-hating faces seem to express otherwise.

1. It took me several tries, but I forced myself to keep sitting down and finish. I organized! Mostly drawers, but then, I threw out most of my old poetry drafts (hundreds of pages). Sitting in the living room surrounded by memories of class workshops, seeing my friends' jots and signatures and ideas for my words was surprisingly pulling. I found words I'd used: batik, ventricle, alveolus, cadenza. And I found inspiration for new lines (my favorite being when I crossed out sticky note for the word post-it. I must have just met Walker.) I cringed seeing my first workshop poem. I reread drafts of less-filtered emotions, a lot on missing Walker the summer he was in London. A lot telling me my writing has changed.

1. Inside-Out Carrot Cake Cookies. (Recipe here.) I managed to down about a quarter of a container of 'full fat cream cheese', as it's called here, tasting this recipe. As someone who usually doesn't go for cookies, I nominate and second this recipe as completely and utterly delish.

I love the April charm and change, and I'm over at Visit St Andrews talking about green tips here. There's a thrill in our town over the famous Royal romance started here, their wedding coming up. I could go on, but lest you weary, I love it here, I do. Happy Thursday!