The First Buzzy Bee of 2015

Been a very pleasant morning out and about, headed out with a scarf, thick jumper and gloves on; within 50 metres I was absolutely sweltering and had to start stripping off, relatively speaking.

Birdsong. The air is full of it, with great tits being particularly strident. Every tree seems to have one of these black and yellow songsters blasting out "dee-doo-dee-doo" like a feathery ghetto blaster. Sitting on the Sconce at Rumbles Café, a pied wagtail entertained us, walking around tail bobbing in what must be a bit of a waste of energy resources, before flying off with its characteristic "peep-peep" at the top of every undulation in its flight.

Chubby robins are in song too, even if the blackbirds have not yet decided to unleash their sweet tuneage upon the world yet. But that can only be a matter of weeks, or even days.

It was actually inside Rumbles that the star of the day was found. A honey bee was up and about buzzing around the window, stirred into life by the bright warm sun. I'd been hoping to see a red admiral perhaps, fluttering by, but hadn't been expecting to come across a bee so early in the year.

Hopefully it found something to eat eventually, there are flowers in bloom here and there. But even if it perishes in the next expected cold snap the Daily Express delights in forecasting, its potency as a sign of warmer, happier times is not undimmed.

I hope the world is waking up where you are.

Si

Buzzing in the window

Trapped behind glass

River Devon alder cones and catkins

Beyond the tree, that blue extends to the edge of the universe