All of a sudden spring arrived: Tuesday –  windy dull and showery with a maximum of 13 degrees; Wednesday – sunny with a pleasant breeze and 10 degrees warmer.

We had two really pleasant walks in South Gloucestershire either side of having a repair on the damaged bodywork of our car to which nobody owned up. The first along Siston Brook in the Willsbridge Valley local nature reserve and the second along the River Boyd in the Golden Valley local nature reserve.

We heard plenty of birds but only had glimpses of a dipper and a grey wagtail and a full view of a robin singing  the joys of spring.

Robin proclaiming his territory

Grey wagtail which was very shy of my camera

However, the spring plants and blossom were a shear delight and compensated somewhat for the invoice for the car repair.

There were lots of butterflies but the peacocks, orange tips and brimstones were too fast for my camera skills yet I did capture this large white.

Proper English bluebells

Primroses

Anemone nemorosa is an early-spring flowering plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae, native to Europe. Common names include wood anemone, windflower, thimbleweed, and smell fox, an allusion to the musky smell of the leaves. It is a herbaceous perennial plant growing 5–15 centimetres (2–6 in) tall.

Click below for gallery of today’s photos: