There is a moment every year when you realise that winter is loosening its grip.

It does not happen all at once. It appears quietly.

You notice it in the mornings, when there is light in the sky before the day begins. In the evenings, when the darkness holds off just a little longer. As we say here, “there’s a quare stretch in the evenings!”

And the birds begin to sing again, as if knowing that we need their song.

Yesterday I went for a walk down by the river at Rostrevor Holidays, looking for these small signs.

Along the riverbank, the Lesser Celandines were out. Tiny yellow flowers, low to the ground, with their heart shaped leaves.

Nearby, the crocuses and snowdrops my mum planted at Carnaclasha had come into bloom. It was evening, so they were closed up for the night, but they were there, quietly keeping their place.

I bent down to take a photograph of them with the cottage behind.

As I stood up, I thought of my friend Noel-John from Camphill Community Glencraig, who stay with us.

Noel John has that Belfast sense of humour that stays with you. One of my favourites is,

“If I don’t see you through the week, I’ll see you through the windee (window).”

It always makes me laugh when he says it.

But he also says,

“Every day you’re still alive, get down on your knees and thank God you’re still on your feet.”

Kneeling there beside those flowers, I realised that is exactly what I had just done.

I had got down on my knees, not for any big reason, but just to notice something small, and full of promise.

The guests who come to us from the Camphill Community Glencraig bring something special with them.

They bring warmth. They bring humour. And they bring a way of seeing the world that makes you slow down and notice it properly.

They remind me that this place is more than cottages and bookings.

It is a place where people come to rest. To breathe. To walk by the river. To listen to the birds. To notice the seasons changing.

And sometimes, without even realising it, to remind each other to be thankful for another day.