There's still lots of snow about but the mornings are getting lighter and there's a real warmth from the sun. Coffee out on the porch in the mornings no longer requires gloves, hat, 2 pairs of socks and insulated boots!

A lot of the snow is melting revealing all the stuff in the garden that I didn't clean up before the snow started last year! The day brings big pools of melt water that refreeze over night. Having spent a week in the studio it was nice to get out early this morning and take some shots before the ice melted again.

My garden is full of pine, spruce and birch trees, autumn is busy with millions of leaves, pine cones and pine needles needing raked and collected to keep the grass healthy, obviously there are a few missed and these look great encapsulated in ice. The early low sun also highlights the air bubbles, I like it.

It has also been a while since green has been visible on the ground, a glimpse of what is to come.