Cyfaredd 5: Spring is a-coming in?

Helo Pawb (Hi Everyone)

Over the last week, we have had glorious weather here in Corris. The sun has been out, birds have been chorusing in greater numbers, and buds are appearing on trees. When I went for a walk on Tuesday, I had to take off my jacket, so warm it had become, though I haven’t acclimatised enough to be like the locals, some of who were almost in t-shirts. For a while it looked like spring had finally arrived, but then the rain and mist returned, sometimes at the same time (see short video below). The last two days, especially, have almost made me feel homesick: sun, then drizzle (or mizzle, as my Cornish friend would say), then rain, then sun—like the famous Melbourne ‘four seasons in one day’.

Below are photos from my various walks to show how the seasons have been changing, sort of, around Corris:

Late Winter

Winter trees

Afon Dulas, looking upstream

Frost on fields

On a clear day you can see for miles. View from a local lookout.

Waterfall seen from the same lookout, days later, after rain

And then the mists descend

Some signs of Spring

First buds (on a blackthorn** bush)

Blackthorn** flowers

First daffodils (Wales national flower)

Lambing season, though I missed taking a photo of the lamb
gambolling around its mother

Afon Dulas, looking upstream, with sun-scald*

Corris in sunshine

Or Not

And then the mist and the rain (filmed today)

Whatever the weather, I am loving my time here. The folks here, in the village and with Stiwdio Maelor, are welcoming and helpful, my studio is a great place to work (plenty of quiet thinking and writing times), and the landscape is inspirational.

On my last trip to Britain, I fell in love with jackdaws. Not sure why. They just seem to have an interesting mix of solo and communal activities.

Jackdaw warming itself on a chimney pot

Sometimes I hear one overhead give a single ‘chak’ and other times when one bird is excited or there’s a whole flock of them:‘chaka-chaka-chak’. Here’s a photo of two having a chat :)

'So, how's the weather?'
'Cold with a side order of wet. Don't you just love it!'

I hope wherever you are, the weather is feeding your soul in some positive way.

Until next time.

Pob Hwyl

Earl

(* See Robert MacFarlane's article on nature language.)

(** My good friend Grevel Lindop pointed out that what I had thought were hawthorn bushes were in fact blackthorn bushes. Thanks, Grevel.)