Spring?

It looks like spring is on its way. It still is a way off but hints are appearing. Snowdrops are blooming and the birds are setting up home.

 
We had an old nest box which had great tits nesting for a couple of years, but we never saw any chicks. Eventually the box started to come apart, so I built a new one.

At first a blue tit investigated it coming back and forth for a while but stopped calling after a few days. Now a great tit has been flitting back and forth for more than a week.  He is alternately poking his head into the box or sitting nearby chirping loudly. No doubt he is telling the world that he has found a nice nest site and any suitable female bird would be welcome to come and share it with him.

So winter may be on its way out soon and more spring flowers will be showing themselves quite soon.

Spring is springing

It looks as if spring has arrived at last in England.

Because it has been a warmer winter than usual, some plants are well ahead of others and we have had snowdrops in different parts of the garden for over two months now. Likewise our daffs are coming and going at different times, instead of all together.

Elsewhere, the waters are receding, allowing those poor distraught victims of the flood to try to recover what they can from their ruined possessions. We live near the headwaters of the Thames and the water meadows have been flooded as usual, but for longer than usual and now the rain has slowed down a bit and allowed us to experience whole days of dry * weather, the grass is appearing again here and there. 
 *Dry is a relative value, some days it has only rained for a few minutes, or has missed us by a few miles.

The water meadows near Cricklade

So hopeful signs all around for an end to the wettest winter on record.  We have even had some sunshine and I snapped this picture to prove it.

Look, blue sky!

They are doing some building work in a small town we visit from time to time which is about thirty miles from us. If you look closely you will see a poor man trapped up the eighty foot ladder waiting for something to do. It must be quite peaceful and warm up there inside that greenhouse-like cab and he is obviously relaxed and settled in for a long wait.

Looking closely you can see his feet.