Is it here yet?

Spring that is. Daffodils blooming in gardens and hedgerows; crocuses, snowdrops, trees budding, all sorts of birds singing each morning and the temperature this afternoon a gentle 14° with blue, sunny skies. The sound of our neighbour mowing the grass for the second time this year is even more springlike. Local farmers will soon be turning out cattle that have been over-wintered in deep litter barns, it will be a joy to see the giant but gentle Aquitaine Blondes out in the fields again, a sign that winter is truly over.

The lambs in nearby fields are now venturing away from their mums and sitting around in little groups, that also is always delightful to see each year. Hedgesparrows have returned to our fir tree screen as have our pair of doves whom we feed with seed on the decking in front of our home, they are aslo busy nest building, our magpies are refurbishing last years nest in between fighting off marauding rooks and the odd red squirrel or two. Soon the hoopoes will be back with their very distinctive triple whooping call and their gorgeous red crests that look like miniature rubber gloves. Our neighbourhood green woodpecker has been very busy in the past week or so, don't often see him but hear him almost every day.

Two pairs of buzzards that live a few hundred metres away in the woods have been getting increasingly more air time recently, soaring and effortlessly wheeling in the sky, calling as thay fly. They are are for ever such a beautiful and magnificent sight that I never tire of watching.

Around this time of the year there has been an itinerant bunch of seven guinea fowl that have slowly ambled past constantly calling - wonder if they will return this year?

A final sign that spring is near is that our cat Socks is showing signs of wanting to go outside having virtually hibernated since the end of last November. Even I'm getting the urge now ...