Spring Forward

She wore her yellow sun-bonnet,
She wore her greenest gown;
She turned to the south wind
And curtsied up and down.
She turned to the sunlight
And shook her yellow head,
And whispered to her neighbour:
"Winter is dead."

~A. A. Milne (1882-1956) ‘Daffodowndilly~

At 1.00 am GMT (2.00 am BST) this morning,   the clocks moved forward by an hour as civil time moves from Coordinated Universal Time (almost identical to Greenwich Mean Time) to British Summer Time (BST).

We lost an hour but with extra daylight in the evenings and a long summer ahead, there will be plenty to look forward to after the clocks change. I loved it when it will still be bright when I reached home, more time to spend pottering in the garden and leaving the front door open. And off course, barbecues and looking forward to enjoy Azures with the roof off/down. That’ll be fun.

This means that we will be turning back the clocks on Halloween this year - 31st October which seems a comfortably long way off. A warning, it may be British Summer Time but the weatherman warned of a wintry blast on the way.

There will be a cold snap on Tuesday and Wednesday, with snow expected on high ground in northern parts of Britain. Hmm, I guess we have to hang a little bit longer on the boots, gloves and coats.

We had a very easy Sunday today. Babe was engrossed with the Australian Grand Prix while I pottered about. I’ve started bringing out the potted plants out and clearing here and there. The Forsythia are beginning to bloom and the daffodils are beginning to flower sporadically.

After GP was over, well done Button, we went to Maplins and I got another pedometer. I’m planning to do some serious walking during the long Easter break. At Matalan, I got a lovely knitted top which was on sale and a pair of red-cross heels. Babe got himself another camouflaged tee. Then off to Tesco for a bit of food shopping.

Yesterday, Babe gave me a lift into town for my rendezvous with CC. We’d our monthly noodle fix at the Noodle Bar and this time I had the fried hor-fun with the usual seafood special and Chinese vegetables, As a treat, we ordered the King prawn dumplings which was totally delicious. all washed with pots of steaming cha.

Then we dawdled slowly to the Chinese shop where I got some Chinese pears. Near the Lady Godiva statute,  we gave a wave to  Stuart Kettell now more than halfway through his week-long incarceration in a glass box to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support. This stunt was akin to David’s Blaine stunt of 2003, where he was locked in a box over the Thames. Well-done.

CC and I also checked out BHS, M & S, Clarks, Faith, Next and New Look for red heels. At New Look, we’d fun trying out some ridiculously high heels and I suddenly felt faint. We quickly went out and got some fresh air.

Babe called and asked if I want to tag along to  Brandon Marsh. Off course. So after about 4 hours in town, I spent the afternoon checking out the reserve. From East marsh hide, we saw 2 Oyster catchers, a Red Shank, lots of lapwings and a dozen plus Common Snipe. 4 of them flew so close to the hide. It was a joy to watch. But my highlight was when I managed to photograph my first Chiff-chaff. It was quite a feat cos they were flittering high up in the tree and it was getting dark.

On the way home, we passed a lot of traffic going the opposite direction. The football fans have left the Ricoh.   Richard Wood returns to haunt his former club with a 79th-minute leveller as the Sky Blues snatch a point and deny Sheffield Wednesday a precious victory. Well done boys.

On Wednesday, PB asked CC and I out for lunch. She wanted to tell us first that she’s leaving mid-April. She’d accepted a better job offer with CGHQ. We made our way to the Fusion Bar at Rootes and had a lovely time digesting both the food and news. Good luck PB and do keep in touch.

At work, we have been busy attending a vertical search and discovery platform demonstrations. They are suppose to assist the users with their research efficiently. So far we’d Summons, Aquabrowser and Encore. Primo will be next week. Do we have a say in these matters? I don’t think so but it was important to keep up-to-date with these things.

On Wednesday, Coventry was in the news for the wrong reason. We are now the pothole capital of the Midlands. I had e-mailed the City Council about potholes that was so huge that it had become a driving hazard. I’m looking forward to see when they will be filled in, if ever. Our council tax rises every year. What do they do with the money???