Someone keeps trying to kidnap Spring

Snowdrops appearing © Ricky Yates

As I have indicated in two previous posts, here and here, this past Winter has been a cold and very snowy one. And Winter has been very reluctant to release its grip. It seems that each time Spring tries to make its appearance, someone promptly kidnaps it 🙁

Altogether, we had over six weeks of lying snow, which only finally began to melt in the latter part of February. This photograph, taken on 20^th February, shows one of my clumps of snowdrops, reappearing as the surrounding snow slowly melted.

Snowdrops flowering © Ricky Yates

And here they are ten days later, flowering beautifully.

Believing that we had seen the last of the snow for this Winter, during the first weekend of March, I moved my snow shovel from outside my back door, to its Summer home in the woodshed. On the morning of Monday 8^th March, this was the scene that greeted me when I opened my back door!

Back garden on Monday 8th March 2021 © Ricky Yates

Whilst on the morning of Saturday 20^th March, this was the view from my front door following an overnight temperature of -6°.

View from my front door on Saturday 20th March 2021 © Ricky Yates

But after the official beginning of Spring, the weather did finally become Spring-like. Therefore on Friday 26^th March, I went on a 9km circular walk from the village of Ludvíkovice, exploring a route above Kanon Labe which I hadn’t previously walked. It included this wonderful view.

The Labe just north of Decín © Ricky Yates

Then on Tuesday 30^th March, I walked with my friend Kát’a, on a triangular route from Markvartice to the summit of Vysoký les (464m) & return. There was bright sunshine and a maximum temperature of 22°!

The summit of Vysoký les has two viewpoints.

The view north towards the Lužické hory from Vysoký les © Ricky Yates

This is the view north towards the Lužické hory.

The view west from Vysoký les © Ricky Yates

Whilst this is the view west with the conical hill Ružovský vrch on the right. The village you can just make out in the centre of the photo is Stará Oleška.

The path through the trees on Vysoký les © Ricky Yates

Descending from Vysoký les back towards Markvartice © Ricky Yates

During Holy Week, my first daffodil also appeared……

First daffodil of 2021 © Ricky Yates

…..as did these wood anemones.

Wood anemones © Ricky Yates

But on Easter Monday…….

The view from my front door on Easter Monday 2021 © Ricky Yates

A week later, on Monday 12^th April, I had to be Prague for two separate medical appointments which were several hours apart. So during the period between the appointments, in a mixture of rain and snow and with a maximum temperature of 3°, I walked around parts of the historic centre of the city. A combination of the weather, together with COVID-19 restrictions meaning there are currently no visiting tourists, meant I hardly saw another human being.

Charles Bridge on 12th April 2021 © Ricky Yates

This is a never to be repeated photograph – Charles Bridge with absolutely nobody on it.

Winter did have one final fling on on Friday 16^th April when we had yet more snow, which fortunately rapidly melted. But I won’t post yet another snowy photograph 😉 Instead, here are my tulips finally flowering.

Tulips flowering in front of my house © Ricky Yates

And trusting that the kidnapper of Spring has made his final appearance for 2021, a few days ago, I returned these plants to their normal Summer location on my front steps, after their Winter sojourn in the house.

Plants on the front steps © Ricky Yates