Green Fields

At last, with a little sunshine and a lot more rain, the green shoots of Spring are beginning to grow through and the fields are turning green again.  After the longest winter ever and weeks of no rain and hard frost, the ground has been arid and dry, straggly stems burnt brown and crisp by a harsh easterly wind.  This last week has brought some welcome sunshine and the right kind of rain needed to soak into the parched land.  The water table must still be high but low enough to be beyond the reach of most plants.  The daffodils are just in bloom and in places the snow drops are still in evidence.  Gradually the buds are appearing on the trees and hedgerows and the birds are beginning their courtships.  Spring has truly Sprung!