Where did spring go?

I know I still need to backblip the shot from yesterday but suffice to say that I managed to get back from Inverness just in time. The snow clouds seemed to be following me and by nightfall had arrived in town. By the morning there was about 1 inch of snow lying, completely flattening the lovely clumps of daffodils and tulips and causing the magnolia tree to sag forlornly in the middle. Even the birds had stopped singing as if in total shock!

My sister-in-law phoned first thing to check I had managed to get home safely and to report that Inverness was under 6 inches of snow! So much for all my hard work in the garden!

The art class was this morning and by the time I took the dogs out for a walk the sun had come out and the temperature had warmed to 4'. So the new warm waterproofs which I had bought in the sale last week came in very handily instead of having to wait for next winter to be used. The wind was bitingly fierce and as soon as I stopped the car I saw a new snow shower heading our way very quickly from the north and scudding across the hills, obliterating all in its path. In true blipper style I disregarded the cold, the wind and the snow and got the camera out to bring you this shot mid-blizzard. I hope you can see the strength of the wind by the slant of the snow.

It was all over in about 15 minutes and the sun followed the storm through, so the remainder of the walk was quite pleasant albeit with snow underfoot and still with a biting wind. But the dogs loved it and it was a very successful test of my new gear as I was dry and toasty inside.

The sky is now a combination of interesting shades of oranges, pinks and purples and there could well be more snow on the way tonight as the clouds look very heavy. I hope it is all over by the morning however, as Bruce has a hot date with a lady spaniel in the north of England!