For our family, the nicest thing about this spring has been the fact that events which have had to be cancelled for the last two years are now starting to take place again.

This is particularly the case because we arrived back in the UK (after many years living abroad) in the middle of lockdown in the spring of 2020.

It’s only really now that we are starting to fully see what the local area has to offer.

I can also guarantee that in every wellbeing workshop I am a part of, one of the topics of discussion will be the relief everyone is feeling at being able to socialise again.

Just being able to go out and see other people – even ones you don’t know – can have a hugely positive impact on our sense of wellbeing.

At the weekend I visited the garden festival that was held in the grounds of Powderham Castle. We were lucky to have bright sunshine and there were all kinds of things to see there. Apart from the stalls selling plants, there were a variety of things, from benches to brightly coloured parasols, to adorn your garden.

There was a whole array of food on offer, music playing in the background and talks on a variety of gardening topics.

I have to say though, that the thing which grabbed my attention the most was none of the above.

My highlight was just a stone’s throw from the castle itself. It was a large tree which had sadly become uprooted and had fallen over, presumably in one of the recent storms. It lay there aside a gaping hole in the ground from where most of its roots had been ripped, the few still attached now exposed to the elements.

That was a sight in itself, albeit a somewhat sad one. However, what really took my breath away was what I saw on the branches which were now lying on the ground. This tree had fallen over – to my mind that meant it should have been dead.

But amazingly – at the ends of the branches were new, bright green leaves starting to sprout.  As I was staring at it, I overheard another couple close by who had noticed the same thing.

They looked in wonder at how it was possible for leaves to still grow given the sorry state of the rest of the poor tree. But there they were, new leaves despite everything.

To me it felt as though the tree was there to remind us of something important. It was as though it was there especially for anyone feeling that they too have been blown over by a storm at some point.

It was showing us that even when it feels as though you have been knocked over, ripped apart or left exposed in a way you would never have chosen, new beginnings are still possible.

Life may not look exactly as it did before and you may well have to look at things from a completely new perspective. But if you make the decision not to give up and find a way to adapt to your new situation, then you too can start again.

You too can grow new leaves in the spring.