Spring's heralds urge me to get a move on too

The hazels have been in flower for a while now, snowdrops too and now the crocuses are having their time and buds are breaking on the elder trees. All these remind me I have work to do. Yesterday I planted a rowan. Today I planted a hazel and some raspberry bushes. I also spent a pleasurable time dismantling and cleaning and sharpening two pairs of secateurs. I'm not always as careful about the maintenance of tools as I should be, but when I take the time I am always rewarded with a great satisfaction. My secateurs are Felcos: none better I believe. The older of them is probably 27 years and the newer 16 or 17 maybe. I only have two pairs because the second I bought as a gift, but kept for myself when the intended recipient got one from someone else. They haven't had a professional level of use it's true, but they have got through a lot of wood. Good tools are always worth the money. So it's nice to have them clean and sharp, really sharp, with the patina of age and familiarity adding to the joy of using them to prune the cordons.