February the puzzling

So often in February we have a day or two of mild, bright weather, and so it has been this year.  There were a couple of days when it was a pleasure to be out in  the garden (even to hang out the washing), so the roses are pruned, the old nesting box is scrubbed out and re-hung (it had obviously hosted a tidy nest-builder and family last spring) and a new one is now up on the other side of the house.  The new one is a freebie from the RSPB, which we have just joined.  With my usual thoroughness, I failed to research the subject before hanging it, and fixed it on the wall above the kitchen door a couple of yards from the original one.  On reading up afterwards, I learned that blue tits are highly territorial, and that we might just get away with two nest boxes if they are as far apart as possible.  So, up the ladder again, off with the new box, then up the ladder on the other side of the house to hang it on the chimney breast, where we could see it through the sitootery roof.  And so, of course, could the sun from midday onwards.  Up the ladder again to shift it round the corner of the chimney breast to face north-west.  And this is the man who used to peddle the doctrine of proper planning and preparation preventing piss-poor performance.  (That was a job, by and large, that I'd as soon forget.)  In the space of the few intervening days, the temperature has plummeted, and for the past 36 hours we've had snow on the ground.  The flurries began on Thursday and intensified late yesterday.  Still, this far into the year, it tends not to hang around too long, and as I write the sky is brighter and the snowfall sparser. 

Getting quite excited at the prospect of our steam train trip to Worcester in a few weeks' time.  This time we'll be behind the Bulleid light Pacific Braunton.  I used to watch them steaming through Orpington hauling boat trains.  Elegant machines, but given to spinning their driving wheels on moving off.  I've unearthed a couple of walks round the city and along the river, so together with a visit to the cathedral and the museum, we'll have plenty to do with the few hours we have to play with.  Hope the March weather's kind to us.

Meanwhile, I've had to cancel our trip to Brighton for lunch at Barbara's.  We were looking forward to it very much, since we were to have been her first lunch guests in her new flat.  I have acquired a streaming cold, and Barbara does not need that now that she's on the mend at last.  Neither do I particularly want to be out in the cold, of course.  Was there ever anything so pathetic as a bloke with a head cold?