Wednesday 18th April 2018

We wait all winter for signs of spring, and the things we remember from previous years; the smell of hyacinths, the sound of swallows on the wing, the feel of warm rays of sunshine on your skin. And so on.

Earlier this week, there had been sunshine but it was cool. But come Wednesday, the dawn was warm and rosy, birds were clearly happy with the situation, as they were singing very loudly. As to what the bees thought, I wouldn't like to say, but come dawn they were busy at the flowers as the petals opened.

It was already warm, or warmer than it had been at six, and once the sun rose, so did the temperature.

We have coffee, Jools get ready for work, and I have breakfast and think about work, but not too hard.

Highlight of the day was on my early morning round in the garden I spotted something in one of my orchid pots. I bought two hardy orchids last autumn, the poor Bee went black and rotted in the autumn when I was away, and there is little hope for that. But the CSO in the larger pot, probably went the same way, but then again....

Well, there was the start of a rosette, two fleshy green leaves that can only be orchid. If it is a CSO should be spotted, but these are pure green. After taking a shot I see that there are two black areas on the leaves, so I am hoping this is normal and not the start of rot setting in.

I can't remember being that happy for a while.

I let calmness envelop me, and go to work.

Work, oh yes. A couple of difficult phone calls to make, but seems to be OK, and so to work.

Mails, two and a half days of them to plough through, write replies and make calls to smooth things out.

It is warm now, heck nearly even hot. We have gone from February to July in a day. I have a mid morning coffee and sit on the patio. The air is still and thick with summer heat and humidity, the cats are flaked out under a bush somewhere, their breakfast left uneaten for now. Insects are in the air, checking drooping flowers others might have missed for nectar and pollen.

Windows and doors are opened to let some cool air in, and the last thing I feel like doing is working. But I do. Ploughing on, getting things done.

At four it is too hot. The cats appear and make half-hearted appeals for dinner. I feed them, they pick at the food and go back outside.

Jools comes back at half five, and although I don't think our hearts are in it, we agree to go out for a walk.

Over the fields looking for signs of spring in new flowering plants. The fields have been ploughed and look so dry its close formation dust. We reach Collingwood and walk back, past the new house being built on the edge of an old quarry, the sort of house I would like, but then we are happy at our place.

We walk back along Collingwood, into the setting sun, letting the warm rays wash over us.

Back home Jools tends the young plants and seedlings, and I cook dinner. Chorizo hash, which is excellent with a pint of IPA.

The evening is warm, but I find things to do inside; writing and photo editing. As ever there is football, but I only follow by text, giving up at quarter past nine when Utd take a 2-0 lead at Bournemouth.

I plan to read in bed, but I close my eyes after a page and am soon asleep.