Isn't it great to go out on these still chilly days and see that new life is stirring? The snowdrops have been with us for a few weeks, and some of the catkins are already past their best. Now crocus flowers are at last appearing. In the more sheltered areas of our local woods, gorse is beginning to flower and the first new buds are beginning to burst. The countryside may still look rather bleak and grey, but all is ready. The hedgers, where they still exist, have trimmed and neatly laid the hawthorn around livestock fields (hard work, but the resulting green fences in a few weeks time beat barbed wire for looks every time!) and the last lorry loads of beet have trundled to the sugar factory. My mother will not have a paper for the next three weeks, as her paper lady is helping her husband with the lambing. Mother says that Spring always makes her happy and optimistic - I put it down to the enforced break from the Daily Mail.But I have to admit, seeing the new life stirring all round cheers me up too. I'm not sure how fast Spring progresses north in the UK, but it's heading up country right now.
Edited 21st Feb: If you can't get out into the countryside, a tangible harbinger can be found at your local B&Q or garden centre. The massed ranks of shiny new lawnmowers are a sight to behold, and as sure a sign as the first daffodils ;-)
7 comments:
Gorgeous pictures, again. Sadly, it's raining here...
Shirl
We have snow drops! And the birds are giving it laldy singing in the trees, so I guess they're happy, spring has made it north of the border.
Raining? Well, there you are, Shirl. Another harbinger - you were up to your waist in snow not so long ago! But you don't have to be outside to see the changing of the seasons (see edit above).
Louise - if you've got snowdrops right up there, I'd best get my T shirts and shorts out :-)
Equinox in four weeks, chaps - huzzah!
As to how quickly spring progresses north, I'd say that it's at about walking pace. When we left Kent last year there were daffodils in bloom. When we reached Durness eight weeks later there were daffodils in bloom.
Louise may just be supporting my (perhaps weakly evidenced)theory there; our snow drops have been out for three or four weeks now, and I reckon we could walk from here to Forres in four weeks...
I think you could well be right, Gayle. I'll do a bit of research on that. Ta :-)
That's Quite Interesting, actually. I think I saw my first snowdrops about six weeks ago (may be four, can't remember which walk it was...), certainly in January.
It's the birds that I notice most, particularly the migrants. I know that in a month or so, mum will say she's seen her first swallow and house martin. Usually a week or two later, we see some pass through here, but they don't stay, we wait a week or so before ours come and settle, followed by the swifts. When I here swifts screaming round the roof tops, I know things are looking up!
(word: geaked. Yes, well...)
(That says 'hear', incase you were wondering. It's early!)
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