The State of Berkshire Spring

At 43 degrees latitude and 150 miles west of the Atlantic Ocean, Canadian winds roar overhead on their way to, well, somewhere else in immediate need of freezing air, no doubt. The end of March is a no-man's land of seasons here, with alternating freezes and thaws, driven mostly by a higher sun's traverse of ragged skies filled with scudding clouds fading into frigid nights
Venturing out in the sun onto momentarily bare brown lawns and south-facing gardens offers little solace for anyone looking for assurances of Spring. Each step encounters iron-hard ground, and crusts of snow persist behind almost every shadow.
Still, protected south gardens show bulbs testing the air with green nubs of early leaves. Close to the foundation a few snowdrops and these crocus tempt fate with splashes of color against dirt and dead leaves.
Patience. Patience.