h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

It's the beginning of February, so it's officially the 3rd day of Spring. This means it is time for me to write my annual journal entry about the season.

The signs of Spring's arrival are definitely in the air - snowdrops in bloom yesterday, migrating birds this morning. The sun is beaming in my window, although it is still cold (about 8°).

Spring always fills me with new hope, and I could do with a bit at the moment.

I was wondering when this thread was going to appear!

Our snowdrops were already out when the snow melted last month. A close look at many trees and plants shows that they are beginniing to sprout new growth.

No cuckoo yet, but in some early January sun I did hear a pigeon.

Every year - it never fails to amaze!

Spring is such a momentous change, I hope to report its arrival for many years to come.

It is unbelievable; but we have strawberries in flower! New growth showing on blackberries and apricots too.

Some of the ornamental cherry trees in the garden were poking out their first petals yesterday, but they're likely all blown off by the wind now. Snowdrops here, too, and the rhododendrons never really stopped. And there are already a few lambs bouncing around the fields!

Kt's good to read about spring. I hope it'll come here soon.

The sea brings the seasons and the land resists them. You're further from the sea, Bel, so it will take a while for Spring to reach you.

Lambing season again.

Terri had been out all night delivering lambs just before she came to Germany, IIRC.

Gnomon, we're usually four to six weeks ahead with spring to where my parents live (at the sea).

>The sea brings the seasons> -- is that why they're so called?

Not Spring for us for a while yet Gnomon, but I noticed my snowdrops are peeping through the soil which is still rock hard from all the frost and ice, not to mention snow.

It is such a cheering sight, they are so tough, nothing stops them popping up

Websailor

Oh goodness: does that mean I should be on the look-out for autumn? Not yet, please

>>is that why they're sow called?

Season comes from "to sow", because the cycle of sowing crops is determined by the seasons. Sow in spring, wait in summer, reap in autumn, store in winter.

Except farmers here sow in Autumn, disrupting the natural order of things for birdsand other wildlife.


Websailor

It won't be spring in the UK until Tesco starts selling Halloween sweets.

Websailor

Tim Burton's "The Nightmare before Christmas" was inspired by seeing a shop taking down the Halloween decorations to put up the Christmas decorations.

Izzy saw her first ad for Christmas '11 the other day. It was a savings club, so that you won't be in debt next Christmas.

...also fingers crossed, thought spring was in the air myself day before yesterday, was thinking of setting out tomatoes. It froze last night, more freezes forecast for the upcoming week (Perris Valley & Coachella Valley, CA).

130kph/80mph winds in San Bernardino County, CA, blew at least four 18 wheeler semi truck and trailer rigs off the freeways. Wind velocities usually higher in the Coachella Valley than SB county, but forecasts lower than that...

Local weather unusually boisterous, but nothing by comparison with the super storm currently underway in northeast Australia

We had one person killed by the storm here in Dublin. A woman was killed when a tree fell on her.

It also took one of the panes out of my greenhouse, and ripped the door off my fuel store. I was able to replace the pane (which is polycarbonate), and I put the door back on the fuel store and parked the car with the bumper pressing against it to prevent it coming off again. It does mean I can't use the car until I've fixed the door, though.

Still very windy here, too - lots of large branches and entire trees down throughout the estate, but the gardeners don't dare go near them yet and they're considering closing the property to visitors entirely today.