Evening bird song heralds arrival of spring

Whatever the old Celtic calendar said about spring starting on St Brigid’s Day, most country people know better.

They know that it doesn’t really get under way until St Patrick’s Day. That’s certainly true here, in the cold midlands.

It’s a little later than usual this year, after a long and cold winter. We had snow in November and snow in March. The soil temperature is low. As I write, there is an area of high pressure over the country, and, although the days are gloriously sunny, the nights are still very cold.