Well, what a wash-out of a winter we had to put up with!  Almost 18 inches of rainfall over the three months, three times as much as in a “normal” year!  It is still boggy underfoot in the woodlands, and so many of the valley bottoms, but at least the streams and winterbournes, dried up for so long, are running again.  And now, quite suddenly, the rain has stopped, and spring is here!  The snowdrops were a picture, but have faded now, and in their place the daffodils are in full bloom, and the hedges are bright with blossom.  Time to call the dog, pick up the stick, and set off for a real walk again!  It’s the uplands for choice at this time of year, where the surface is dry and the views vast and uninterrupted by leaves still to open. Just wrap up warm, as the wind is keen and the air still redolent of winter.