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There is no way I could talk about spring without first mentioning one of the best parts of it, and that is Easter. Just like Christmas, Easter has it's own trademark products, images and visuals associated with it that we get bombarded with every year. Some of which include Easter eggs, fluffy stick-on chicks for kids crafts, bunny rabbits and OTT cartoon illustration of Jesus with light beams radiating from him.

Now don't get me wrong, I appreciate the chocolate (Cadbury's Mini Eggs for the win 🙌) and those fluffy stick-on chicks take me back to my primary school days, but what are the original foundations of Easter?

Easter follows Lent (which you can read a little about in my Pancake Day post here) in celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ and pays a fundamental part in the heart of Christianity. Palm Sunday marks the first day of Holy Week, the week in the lead-up to Easter and honours Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem on a donkey, where crowds of people came to greet and worship him, throwing palm leaves on the road. Later in the week, is Maundy Thursday, the day that remembers the night of the Passover meal Jesus had with his disciples, most commonly known as the Last Supper. Here Jesus talks of his upcoming death and tells his disciples to love and serve one another. Today Christians remember this by breaking bread and drinking wine together, known as the act of taking Communion. Next is Good Friday, where the church recognises the crucifixtion, suffering and death of Jesus and what it means to their faith. But that isn't the end as Easter Sunday acknowledges his resurrection and his triumph over death. If you want to read the full detailed story, you can find Palm it in the Bible in the book of John chapter 12 (Palm Sunday) and Matthew chapter 26 to 28.

Easter is about redemption and love, but is also a time that celebrates, new life, hope and joy, all the things that also comes with spring too, another reason that makes it a great season. That being said, I enjoy celebrating Easter and am a sucker for all the extras the comes with it (chocolate included) so here are some great things you can do this Easter weekend. Speaking of chocolate...

| EASTER EGG HUNTS AND TRAILS |

If Easter is more of a family affair for you with little ones, head on down to Hampton Court Palace who are hosting an Easter Lindt Gold Bunny Hunt around the gardens, with other activities including chocolate tasting.

Or visit Lauderdale House for their Easter Egg-stravaganza, where they'll be, well, Easter eggs, an egg hunt AND Easter egg decorating!

If you're more of a Cadbury's fan than Lindt, Cadbury's have their own string of egg hunts at Ham House, Osterly Park and Morden Hall Park, just to name a few. If chocolate surrounded by beautiful surroundings isn't enough to make it a great day out for the whole family, then the fact that all proceeds go towards funding vital conservation work should do the trick.

| THEMED FOOD AND DRINK |

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Adults, don't worry there is some Lindt fun in the line-up for you as well. Chocolate Easter egg cocktails, Easter egg pizzas and about a billion Easter themed afternoon teas across the city. The Chocolate Surprise cocktail served in a giant chocolate egg at Aster is by far a fantastic way to jazz up an Easter themed brunch menu. The standout however titled 'The Eggs-troadinaire Pizza' complete with a custard base (instead of tomato sauce) and Creme Eggs, Mini Eggs and Lindt chocolate bunnies for toppings.

| THE PASSION OF JESUS |

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Come and see the story Good Friday, brought to life in a moving performance right in the centre of Trafalgar Square. Back for the ninth year in a row, with more than 100 cast members from the Wintershall Players accompanied by doves, horses and donkeys, will be putting on a lifelike rendition of the crucifixion. An event that usually draws in tens of thousands each year, and is an ideal event to attend before or after a contemplative service.

| WESTMINSTER ABBEY AND ST PAUL'S CATHEDRAL |

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There will be services taking place at Westminster Abbey and St Paul's Cathedral and all churches across London over the duration of the Easter Weekend. All of which you can visit freely - a great opportunity to do so if you haven't been to either the Abbey or Cathedral.

Don't worry if you can't make it into the centre of London though, you can pop into your local church for any of the services happening. Going to a service is a a great way to connect to the heart of Easter. Different churches will have different service times, so be sure to check times on each date in advance.

| SUNDAY ROAST |

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Now it wouldn't be Easter Sunday if there was no Sunday roast involved. I don't know about you, but a having a roast on Easter Sunday has always been a tradition. Whether that's going out to feast on your favourite pub lunch or cooking up a storm at home, a roast is a must.  To celebrate Easter, Scoff & Banter in Kensington has been highly recommended, offering a signature roast to the sound of live jazz.

Whatever it is you end up doing this weekend, whether you'll be spending it reflecting and celebrating at church, or making the most of a long overdue bank holiday, I wish you all a Happy Easter. May it involved plenty of chocolate!

Spring is FINALLY here! Despite the fact it is not in full swing just yet and the first day of spring has just been and gone, plus the clocks have now gone forward, I'm done with winter! I'm done with the freak weather changes, I'm done with too many close encounters with frostbite and I'm ready for spring to take over and make an appearance.

If you have spoken to anyone who lives in the UK recently or even just interact with any Brits on social media, you would have heard the complaining and seen the images and videos about the freezing weather and snow days this month. If you live in the UK you would have contributed to said complaining and probably enjoyed the snow for the first day but was over it by day two/three.

We've been waiting (for a while) and we're ready! The UK is ready for a new season! I definitely feel as though I have been wearing my winter coat for far too long now. It isn't just about the weather though. Winter can be tough. Quite like snow, it is nice at first but then the further in the season gets, the more challenging it becomes. December and January especially, can be the most difficult months for some people, who retreat into isolation, struggle with loneliness and feel distress about the next stages in their lives. The start of spring symbolises more than just the transition in seasons. It symbolises the start of new things, change, refreshing and hope.

What else do I think of when I think of spring? Longer days, Easter, bank holidays, sunny strolls, wearing less layers, pastel colours, seasonal salads, afternoon tea, daffodils, cherry blossom, spring cleans, revamped interiors and new found creativity. It just generally is a season to get excited about. Mainly because, let's be honest, it's a foretaste of summer.

So with all that wonderfulness in mind (whilst deliberately ignoring the reality of April Showers which plays a big part in spring as well), it is time to pack those thermal vests away and get stuck into all that spring has to offer. The thought alone has got me exhilarated and inspired, so much so that I'll be dedicating the next couple of weeks on the blog to all things spring-spiration! From things you can do in the capital, to how you can let spring motivate and influence your every day, all of which will be things to hopefully help put a spring in your step ;-)

Last year Back in 2016, Law's London installation - which you can read about and see images of in my post here - used 1,400 stems but the scale of this installation sees approximately 375,000 preserved flora from a personal collection, saved over the last decade, handcrafted into garlands.

Law tells us,

"It's difficult to flow against the cycle of life and death, trying to preserve and hold on to a material that traditionally has little or no value in a modern culture. The natural world has been at the core of my artwork and I have always longed to create art that enables the viewer to find serenity within nature, transporting them into a space without the constraints of time and where there is still life in death."

It's definitely worth a worth a visit, as are the other exhibitions in the gallery. In fact, if you're yet to make plans for Mother's Day, treat her to a trip to Kew Gardens, with afternoon tea in The Orangery followed by a visit to this exhibition of preserved flora. A little different than giving a traditional bouquet of flowers.

Exhibition on Until March 11th

Fore more details click here.