Even on a cold, cold day . . .

 . . . would I love to be up in this old girl.  It looks beautifully preserved and would give one the feeling of pure flying, much closer to the elements than the enclosed cockpit that I'm used to.

I think that she is a Boeing Stearman, a US trainer from between the wars, I believe.  She is not a fast machine, nor that agile, but what an experience a flight might be!

I often stop at the airfield, Old Warden near Biggleswade, home of the Shuttleworth Collection.  I have several shots of lovely old aircraft and I plan to attend the first show of the season on 6 May.