Springtime!
Although spring doesn't officially start until 21st March, it really felt like it had arrived early and in all its glory today in north west Wales. The sun shone warmly and the sky was clear blue so, lucky enough to have the day off work, I went for a long walk up in the hills. The beauty of nature at this time of year is truly amazing. Hedgerows and trees were showing blossom, daffodils were everywhere and other springtime flowers were making an appearance too. The trees were alive with birds, all of them flitting around looking for mates or, having already paired up, busily gathering material for their nests. I got a good look at a couple of male Bullfinches showing off before a female, who seemed to be playing hard to get! Seeing these lovely colourful birds is a real treat as, sadly, they are not as common as they once were in the UK. Bees too were in abundance and I even saw a butterfly, the first I've seen this year. So, it may be raining tomorrow but to