First Day of Spring?

Along the banks and verges, white has changed to gold and purple, as the virginal snowdrops die away, giving place to primroses and periwinkles, crocuses and daffodils. The wintry sunshine, that struggled to push its way through cloud and mist, has also gone, at least for now, and in its place is a blessed heat, tempered by gentle breezes. The birds' joyous song is joined by the humming of bees, as they bumble and buzz from one blossom to another; and even a couple of butterflies have come out to join the fun.

One doesn't like to get speak too soon, but might spring be here to stay?

What colour is your beak?

I read recently that you can tell the general health of a male blackbird by the colour of his beak - apparently, the stronger his immune system, the yellow-er it is in appearance.
I think the three male blackbirds who currently live in our garden must be very healthy indeed, as they all have beaks that verge on neon orange. Given that spring is just around the corner, and they are all spending a lot of energy defining boundary lines (which mostly seems to consist of singing very loudly, and fighting each other on the lawn and in amongst the bushes), it's probably just as well...

My father had a cold the other week, and as he stood there wheezing and sneezing, looking decidedly wan, I suggested he should go to bed, adding that if he were a blackbird his beak would probably be a rather pale, dirty yellow. He agreed. How useful it would be, when it comes to looking after our health, if we all had colour-changing beaks!