Wednesday 31 March 2010

One Swallow doesn't make a Summer

Yesterday I saw my first Swallow of the year. It flitted over the garden as I was having lunch, and made me happy. Anorak owners will be interested to know that this is a full eight days earlier than my previous earliest record. Time to break out the shorts and sunnies? Er, no. Time to break out the fleece-lined trousers and wooly hat. The original meaning of the proverb, well, who knows? The literal meaning? Spot on.

It is FREEZING again. I was assaulted by a bitter wind on the school run, and the rain came at me sideways. The amber "It's quite cold" warning light came on in the car. It seems to have got worse since I got back, so perhaps on the pick-up the red "It's really cold" one will come on?

Honestly, this is intolerable. We have just had the longest, coldest, darkest and most miserable winter that I can remember for a very very long time, and as soon as the clocks go forward, it's like January all over again. Cold, dark, wet mornings. I'm sitting here in a fleece with a steaming mug of tea. I've had a look out of the window at my poor plants. I have an Araucaria tree from Brazil, a relative of the Monkey Puzzle, that spent the whole winter in hibernation in the greenhouse at the end of the garden. I put it back on the terrace about ten days ago, but at this rate I might have to lug it back there down again. I didn't think I was being premature, I honestly thought we were all done.



Needless to say I have not seen any more Swallows today. If they have any sense, they will have turned tail and headed back south.

1 comment:

  1. Now you know how we feel here in Vermont every winter.

    Except for this one! We got yours, apparently. It has been extra mild (for us, anyway). They are predicting 80+ degrees for the weekend. Fabulous. Sorry about that, but I promise to thoroughly enjoy it for you.

    (Please forgive me, but around here we don't get to be smug about our warm weather very often, so I really have to take advantage of it when the opportunity strikes. In truth, our "extremely mild" winter is your "harsh and miserable" winter anyway.)

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