Seeing the ground again after snow is great. Snow, when it eventually falls here, tends to stick around for a while. Then it turns into ice sheets when the winds pick up and freeze it. It can be like this for weeks, usually until there is significant enough rainfall to melt it, or the temperature rises to say above 5˚C for long enough to melt it as well. Usually it’s the rain that does it quickest. And though the snow is fun and beautiful initially, the ice becomes a pain in the arse, it’s so hard packed and solid.
When we do see the grass again it’s matted like it’s been combed to one side after the Sunday night hair wash. It also doesn’t tend to be very green, brown is closer, but compared to the mucky ice we’ve been walking on its practically verdant. Still it is good to see, despite the fact that it’s too waterlogged and messy to be of any use. Annoying if you’re a dog owner. I like seeing the return of daisies. M picked one this afternoon for mum, as she always does, as well as B’s favourite, the dandelion. Here they’re known as ‘pee the beds’, which turns out to be true, as being one of the first greenery to grow back after winter, people traditionally would rush out and eat them. Dandelions are a diuretic, eat too many of them and whoops!