The Second Flush of Spring

I climbed up the mountain yesterday in beautiful sunshine, with a cold westerly breeze.  As I sat near the summit drinking my drinking chocolate and listening to the skylarks, it occurred to me that there are two "flushes" as spring arrives in this area.  The first flush is in February, when the snowdrops and daffodils come into bloom -- both late this year because of the very hard winter.  The earliest birds are already nesting then -- we had a pair of collar doves who nested in the garden, who tried to raise (unsuccessfully, I think) a brood of four or five chicks.  Then comes the second flush in March, when the skylarks begin to sing and when one sees for the first time that subtle shade of mauve / pink / green on the distant woodlands down in the cwm.  The colour change from the browns and greys of winter is so subtle as to be indescribable -- but it's very beautiful indeed......