Local patch 37

From the sublime to the ridiculous; we have escaped from the Arctic grip of snow and ice into the warmest Valentine's Day for many years. We dug out tee shirts and sunglasses. Some people jumped into the sea. The hedgerows strained to keep pace with the surge of sappy growth, encouraged by the May-like temperatures. Birds are singing and busy looking for insects. They don't know what month it is.

I went to collect eggs in the soft air before dawn. There was pearl on the horizon and, in these in between times, a tawny was hooting from the tall birches at the end of the garden while a blackbird started his dawn song and the robin shouted out from the plum tree above the chicken run. In the rush to get ready for the day ahead: breathe deeply.

Local patch 36

Heavy snow and ice has brought much of central and southern Britain to a surprised halt, with night time temperatures dipping well below zero. Here on the Somerset Levels we have a beautiful dusting. Several centimetres of the white stuff was enough to close our schools and make many roads treacherous. Further West, there were tales of great kindness and generosity as travellers were stranded on Bodmin Moor.