I just have to write about pussy willows...

I've mentioned catkins earlier but there is something so deliciously tactile about pussy willows!!

They are so soft and feel like fur - a sort of bridge between the botanical and zoological worlds. I can remember stroking them as a child, bringing them to my cheek and feeling their soft touch against my skin. As gentle as an angel's kiss - if angel's kiss...

One of the sad things is that you don't get to enjoy them so much as you whizz by on a train... unlike the catkins that shout their presence as soon as the blossom. Pussy willows are much more discrete - that is until they approach the end of their days and then they bulge and reveal bright yellow pollen. Then you can appreciate their beauty from the train window. But in no way can I relive the wonderful feeling of that 'flower' on my cheek...

Touch is such a unique sense...

When you're sad the feel of an arm around you is so comforting...

When you're happy the delight of hug is exhilarating...

When you are afraid a hand in your own is reassuring...

Pussy willows make me feel warm and cosseted. Simple, childlike, joyful.