Evening walk...

Rosie and I had our first evening walk of the year, now that the clocks have gone forward. Normally there would be green buds on all the trees, pussy willow in flower and birds in full song - and bees and butterflies about during the day. But this year the persistent north-east winds have kept nature locked away - I haven't seen a single bee since December and only one butterfly on a brief milder interlude at the start of March. This image could easily have been taken in mid-February, as very little has changed since then. I hope spring's good when it fnally arrives!