My cherry tree is in bloom again. I say ‘my’ but it doesn’t belong to me. It’s situated on the street just in front of my house and I must look at it at least thirty to forty times a day through my window while I’m resting my eyes from my computer screen. In winter, its just bare branches and for most of the summer its leaves are a quiet dark green but, at this time of the year, it literally bursts into blossom.

I know that its luscious pinky-red blooms will soon fade but, for me, this is the true start to the new year when life on our beautiful planet wakes itself up and says goodbye to the listlessness of winter.

Despite the daily drip, drip, drip of generally bad news about bad people doing horrendous things, my cherry tree lifts me up when I look out of my window. It is the promise of warm days, walking around in T shirt and shorts, sitting outside a coffee shop or a pub watching people go by and of brightness after the heavy dull overcast of winter.

It is also hope.

It seems to me as if we’ve all sunk into a winter of despair caused by groups of bad actors whose only aim seems to be to destroy our planet and our own faith in true progress. Many of our young people see no hope for themselves as armies of trolls spread malicious lies and misinformation across the internet, setting brother against brother and neighbour against neighbour.

Sunlight cheers us up and, has often been said, sunlight is the best disinfectant when it comes to the liars and the inhumane humans who now seem to have infected our social and political arenas with their untruths and cruelties. Whatever some of these despicable and (yes) deplorable people say, there are no alternative facts just the plain unvarnished truth. Everything else is lies. If we all try to find and adhere to the truth, be true to ourselves and ignore the noises of those who lie for a living then we will be a lot nearer giving hope back, not just to our young people, but to everyone else who is on this small world with us as it journeys through space.