The original black and white illustration of Moomintroll and Snufkin sat on a bridge over the river at the start of spring. By Tove Jansson.
Happy, Happy Spring! There has been a change in the air this week. Last night's frost hasn't been quite as thick, and the sky is already getting lighter, signs of another beautiful day ahead. I'm taking a break from here, but if you need me, I'm sure you can find me elsewhere. #TheBeaufortReport
And so, winter comes to a close in a blaze of sunshine and glory. The children were leaving school in short sleeves and laughing all the way home, just with the sheer unbridled joy of it all. The tractor was ploughing the hill, and the firth offered a quiet and calm reflection. #TheBeaufortReport
Early morning, Stenness Loch in Orkney. A standing stone near the water's edge, a handful of houses and farms on the low hills beyond. Everything bathed in a blue and purple light.
The firth this morning was bathed in subtle purples, the kind you get on cold and clear mornings, promising a glorious day ahead. It reminded me of another early morning overlooking Stenness Loch almost exactly nine years ago (pictured). #TheBeaufortReport #BlackIsle #Highlands #Orkney #Scotland
It has been a golden sort of day, with blue skies and occasional contrails and mostly-fluffy clouds. A very precise, boxy cloud hovered just shy of the mountain peak for a while, making it look for all the world like Ben Wyvis was wearing a pillbox hat. #TheBeaufortReport
There is a magical light this morning. A golden glow that hasn't disappeared with the fledgling day, but has stayed to make sure that everyone knows that anything can happen. #TheBeaufortReport
The weather is on the up again. There is more snow on the mountains, but more sunshine and warmth too, and less of the bitter wind. The trees are budding quickly now, you can almost see the growth from one day to the next. There is everything to play for. #TheBeaufortReport
The mountains aren't there at all this morning. A solitary beacon-white wind turbine dances furiously in front of a moody petrol blue and greying sky on top of one of the hills, twisting to see Wyvis somewhere in the gloom beyond. #TheBeaufortReport
After a somewhat middling at times day, the sun pulled it out of the bag just before sunset to grace us with some piercingly beautiful attention from the western hills. Now, night has fallen, and there's a chance of snow. #TheBeaufortReport
There has been a dip in temperature today after the comparatively balmy weekend. A fresh covering of snow on the mountains. The sun finally broke through mid-afternoon, and made a point of hanging about as if to apologise for her absence this morning. #TheBeaufortReport
More haar, more sunshine. A certain type of warmth, promising spring. The sun has changed colour for the season, and is already spilling over more of the garden by midday. #TheBeaufortReport
The haar over the firth has crept up the hill to the end of the garden, leaving us floating above the world. There is a perfect raindrop on the tip of every branch of the Japanese Maple. #TheBeaufortReport
The firth was so still today. No sign of movement from a distance, just blurred reflections merging into one another. #TheBeaufortReport
Past sunset and well into the grimlins, a thin wave of pink stretched across the sky from the west. It lasted a scant handful of minutes before it faded to palest lemon before dissipating into the blue-grey. #TheBeaufortReport
The morning's rain cleared by lunchtime, making way for light skies and sunshine. The wind was warm, and spirits lifted along with the clouds. #TheBeaufortReport
Bouts of sunshine today, but mostly just grey and windy. The firth was full of white horses, rolling, galloping. Dowdy clouds skimmed the top of the mountains, which have only flecks of snow now, the brightness of the world dimmed. #TheBeaufortReport
A day of moods. Wild moods, gentle moods, furious moods, and reconciliation. The sun can't make up its mind, and the wind is throwing its weight around. It is deliciously March. #TheBeaufortReport
A finger-chilling day, with a bitter wind. The clouds got moodier towards sunset, low over the mountains. Everything is promising rain. #TheBeaufortReport
Blue skies today, with white clouds being encouraged along by a brisk breeze. Daylight is stretching out, and seems noticeably longer every day. There may still be a chill, but the sun is warm and the trees are budding. Crocus everywhere, muscling in next to the snowdrops. #TheBeaufortReport
There is a specific colour to some days of late winter, a type of sunshine somewhere between lemon and gold. It is that colour today. The firth is full, and the snow on the mountains is retreating. #TheBeaufortReport
The firth at low tide at sunset, sands reflecting shades of the day. It has been glorious - cold, but beautiful - and there's a promise of spring, nearly within reach. #TheBeaufortReport
Past sunset now, just a sky of silhouetted mountains across the firth and graduated lemon through green to deepening blue, after a day of frost and warmth. #TheBeaufortReport
A strange day, with the wind whipping up to a bitter rant, only to change its mind minutes later and relax into sunshine and calm. #TheBeaufortReport
It was so much lighter this morning, as if spring really is just around the corner. The first April Shower of the year graced us with her presence, announcing a morning of rainbows. #TheBeaufortReport
Rain, rain, rain yesterday - then a splitting of a dark sky a little before sunset with a streak of warm lemon-gold. A brief pause before darkness descended. #TheBeaufortReport
An exquisitely tempestuous sky this morning, dark grey-blues, and the air precise and electric with anticipation. A red kite wheels above the field. Everything is holding its breath. #TheBeaufortReport
A dull day until mid-afternoon, when the sun burst through from the west, illuminating the snow-capped mountains behind still-moody hills, making them seem like an unreal stage backdrop, a painted mirage. #TheBeaufortReport
There is a thin line of haar hanging in the valley, above the firth, but below the top of the hills. The mountains, covered in fresh snow, are just a pale charcoal sketch beyond. There, but not really there. #TheBeaufortReport
Another beautiful and crisp rose-coloured morning. A tangle of bare plum tree branches against a sky of such pale blue and hardly-visible clouds it seems almost white. Temperatures are due to rise later this week. It's hard to know which of these flings will be winter's last. #TheBeaufortReport
It is light enough now by quarter past seven in the morning to go out for a walk, should one have the time and desire. By quarter past eight this morning, pale rose light filled the valley, softening the hills opposite. #TheBeaufortReport
There is fresh snow on the mountains, and it has only just risen to zero degrees an hour and a half shy of the afternoon. But the sun is warm, and it's still and clear. There is a promise of spring, and it is a joy to be outside. The birds know it too, chattering their approval. #TheBeaufortReport
