The First Thaw.

Nature never stops surprising me. What a difference two days can make. As we begin a new month and the first month of spring, I am very happy to announce that when I looked out of my bedroom window yesterday, the large icicle that used to hang there for almost three months was gone.
As if by magic, over night it disappeared. The landscape was foggy and when I opened the window, the sound of dripping and running water could be heard.

This was our first thaw.
It arrived unexpectedly and lasted two days, bringing the first plus degrees of the year - and actually even the first rain since early December. I never remember welcoming rain with such a joy.
It caused some snow to vanish, turning into a brown slush. Most of it is still around though, as the ground is still frozen and it will take more than a couple of days of thaw to make it disappear all together.

I decided to look for spring signs on the few, small uncovered areas around my house. My heart literally skipped a beat when I did find signs of life.
Just next to the house, on a small grassy area below the bushes lining my terrace, a tiny flower was almost in bloom. It is the first early flower to bloom in Scandinavia (besides Snowdrop) and it is called Eranthis. It is yellow, cup-shaped and appears so fragile, yet this is an incredibly resilient plant, so significant of the early spring in my part of the world.
Even the stalks of Crocuses were clearly visible in the vicinity and on my back terrace, on a shielded area under a window, Daffodil stalks were shooting through the ground.
And finally, the long, brown, lonely branches of my Caprifolium (Honeysuckle) displayed visible buds.

I can not describe in words the joy that I felt gazing at these small miracles of nature. It felt as if it was trying to comfort us, telling us that winter will eventually end. Even though the weather has now turned for the worst again, with threat of snow in the air and the temperature has dipped below freezing, this clearly was the first unmistakable sign signifying that spring is imminent.