Herald of Spring?

Yes, I now know for definite that Spring must be just around corner. 'How?', I hear you asking. 'Have you heard the first cuckoo ... noticed frogspawn on the pond .... or even heard the buzzing of a bumblebee?'

Not at all. On driving home today, on a gloriously bright day, I noticed the first ice-cream van parked on the Downs ... and quietly doing not bad trade at all! A more reliable indicator than any of the above!

Long may it last, I say.

By the way, this is not the actual ice cream van on the Downs - I didn't have my camera on me when I drove past. I'll try and get a picture of the real thing soon and update this post.

Post Script: This picture is the real van now!