Yesterday I was out surveying rocks amid preparations to widen a local railway ("amid" is the current buzz-word at BBC). As the day progressed, Spring sprang.

Around lunchtime I saw the first tussilago, apparently called coltsfoot in English, and a couple of hours later they were everywhere, along with other yellow flowers. There was even a small dandelion growing in a crack in a south-facing rock wall. In the afternoon bumblebees and butterflies had emerged. Leaf buds were on the verge of erupting.

This had to be celebrated with an ice cream when I was finished with my work. Mmm, first ice cream of the season, delicious.

A week ago it was so cold my fingers almost fell off when writing up data out in a tunnel.