Celebrating the Greenness of England
The magic of the English countryside
When I first moved to England, in the summer of 2021, I was excited to discover the culture, and the history, and to meet people in this amazing country. However, the main thing that will stay with me as I prepare to leave after two years, is the landscape. In particular, how green and lush everything is here.
It was the first thing I noticed. As we ventured out in our rental car to go see our new home for the first time, we drove across the English countryside and I was mesmerized.
All the vegetation around me was luxuriant, so bright and so green.
Some roads were so fully surrounded by luxuriant vegetation that it felt like driving through a green tunnel.
Summer became fall which became winter and the greenness faded, although it never fully disappeared. Compared to Canada, which is fully white in the winter, England remained surprisingly green.
But my favourite experience came with spring as the rain revealed the flowers that had been sleeping below the ground and the trees blossomed before going back to their green selves.
I was prepared for the rain when I moved here. The weather is fickle and changing and often wet. That comes with its downsides, including mud…