We had a short holiday in January and having escaped the snow here for a while came back to find a thaw well in progress.  And how surprised was I to see that as the snow receded there was evidence of new life in progress.

Bulbs are giving it a go - the tulips and narcissi in pots are doing well - strong green shoots apparent and plenty of them.  The snowdrops are now flowering, the flowering currant is in bud and even the honeysuckle is showing signs that it has survived the winter and in gearing up for a productive summer.

Our daffodils along the drive though appear to be struggling more - they have had a lot of water around as the snow has gone and the rain set in.  They are giving it a go but at the moment look a little more yellow than is, perhaps, usual.  I shall put my faith into their desire to survive and hope we get another good display from them this spring.

The promise of early spring is one of my favourite parts of the year.  Every so often we are blessed with a stunning late winter day with sunshine, clarity and signs everywhere that abundance is, once more, around the corner.  Some of the gardens locally have lovely tulip and daffodil displays, Thorpe Perrow runs all sorts of interesting days with a huge range of trees at all stages of growth in the arboretum while the Dales get greener and full of delightful, bouncy lambs.

The trick here is to get well wrapped up to enjoy the day with the hope you may have to discard a layer or two if you are lucky with the sun.  So get your thermals and best looking fleeces out, find the thick socks, book a room and get away for a lovely break.