We begin on Exmoor and end with a frosted window in this glorious addition to our ever-popular series of Almanacs. On the way, we encounter wild roses and pipistrelle bats, the green-god Lud and “violet lightnings” during a summer storm.

The twelve poems take us through the year, noticing the particular things that make each month unique and precious. Spring is heralded in a delicious poem that relishes the rhymes and sound-patterns of the year’s most vibrant season:

“Slithery, withery Winter’s away!
Here comes dawny, yawny Spring sunrays,
rooty, shooty, tooty daffodils bright,
buttery, fluttery, butterflies light…”

from ‘Here Comes Spring’ by Linda Middleton

What could be better than starting each month with a poem? We hope this beguiling selection will help you to do just that.