Things are looking up. The cold weather and icy winds of winter are still hanging on, but despite this there are cheerful signs of spring wherever you look.
Snowdrops blooming under trees, in hedgerows and in churchyards.
Snowdrops have been cultivated since the middle ages and are associated with abbeys
and churchyards as they are a symbol of the Catholic festival of Candlemas. They are normally flowering on 2nd February when Candlemas is celebrated and they are looking particularly fine this year.
.jpg "Robin in Cotswold hedgerow with grass in his/her beak")
A robin collecting material his or her their nest.
(male and female look the same)
According to
folklore it is said that when Jesus was crucified on the cross, a robin flew
down and removed a thorn from the crown on his head and sang to him, thus relieving his suffering. The blood of
Jesus stained his throat and chest, and ever since his breast has remained red.
Lambs appearing in the fields.
These babies are sticking close to mum where there is always a constant supply of food.
Mum is a type of sheep known as a 'mule' and is a crossbreed between a hardy upland ewe and a lowland ram.
Best
Anne
