On My Mind in May

Fuji Cherry Tree ‘Kojou no mai’

Parallell worlds. Spring! How can there be so much beauty when there is a pandemic? A waking dream. I seek solace on my balcony and in the company of distant friends and family.

• The Ebb & Flow of Creativity: Days blend into each other. Solitude. Isolation. Loneliness. Strength. Vulnerability. Fear. Grief. Pain. Suffering people. A lost world. Although I am a solitaire, this is different. I can’t focus. I can’t read. Even though I am so used to needing to withdraw to create and pause. But this is different. I can’t create. I interrupt myself. Distracted. I seek comfort with the people I love. We find each other through Skype and FaceTime and emails and phone calls.

• On my Balcony: Fuji Cherry Tree ‘Kojou no mai’ blooming profusely. Its slightly twisted, wiry, zig-zag twigs are completely covered in crimson buds that open turning into blushing paper-white blossoms studded with pink. For three weeks in very early spring the dark tangle of stems is smothered in an abundance of pale blossom. 'Kojo-no-mai' aptly means 'flight of the butterflies' in Japanese.

• In Response to the Corona Virus Pandemic: Alone Together.

• Poetry: Lockdown by Simon Armitage.

• In my Kitchen: Apple blossom pancakes.

• On my Radio: My steadfast companion! The Kitchen Front: How wartime food strategies influenced our eating ethos

• Weekend Project: Balcony gardening.