If I had to choose, spring would be my favourite season of the year. It holds the promise of summer, of warmth on bare skin. Yet spring itself is much more than a calling card for another time. It’s when the earth starts to wake up. If you spend any time outside, I’m sure you can smell the change in seasons, of new life about to emerge. There’s a scientific basis to this… The smell is caused by bacteria known as Actinomycetes, which thrive in the soil when conditions are wet and warm.