If one looks really carefully, there are other things starting to flower, not just crocuses.

The Viburnum blossoms have been on the way since December, on the cusp of opening.

This spring’s very first crocuses.

The witch hazel is blooming.

The snow is melting at an impressive pace in the warm rain, and apparently the weeds beneath it are already ready to go.

+4°C feels much warmer in February than it did in November. I go out dressed as I was back then, and before long I’m unzipping my coat and peeling off my gloves.

We’ve had a good two or three weeks of lovely winter weather now: plenty of snow, temperatures between –5°C and –10°C, and surprising amounts of blue skies and sunshine in between the flurries of snow. I love shovelling powdery snow on a sunny day.

The snow cover in the garden is so thick that I can barely see some of the smaller bushes. I only know to avoid stepping on them because I remember where I planted them.

Snow has piled up on tree branches and porch railings in precariously curling layers. In some places, it’s started slumping off whatever thing it landed on, but somehow still clings on in gravity-defying curves. I’m peeved that I can’t manage to take photos that do these shapes justice.

There’s a wildish rose bush at the back of the garden. Its rose hips look especially decorative against snow, even when they’re all shrivelled up.

I’m surprised that the fruit is still there and hasn’t been eaten by birds.

I’m not sure what species it is, but I’m guessing it might be a beach rose. Those are common in Sweden, and for years I thought them to be a long-time part of Swedish nature. I only found out recently ago that it is considered an invasive species, and I learned that the first one was spotted in Sweden just a hundred years ago (1918 according to Wikipedia).

My days are still full of meetings. This new team loves meetings and discussing every decision and doing remote pair programming. It is very democratic and very sharing but also rather exhausting. I barely have enough time for a workout and a quick lunch during my lunch breaks, and definitely no time to go out for photos or anything like that. So here’s a desperate, badly lit and badly composed, end-of-day, better-than-nothing, photo of my dinner materials.

Even so, the photo reminds me of how happy I am with our “new” kitchen. Well over a year and a half old, it still feels new, and I often find myself thinking fondly about it. It is so much more functional, well-organized, light and better-looking than the old one. All these deep drawers with their smooth mechanisms, felt bottoms and well-fitting dividers! And the smooth, solid, easy to clean counter top! And the dimmable lights, aimed at places that actually need them! Love it.

Look who visited our bird feeding station: the friendly neighbourhood rat.

Obviously one doesn’t really want rats around one’s house, but I’m coming to accept their presence as more or less inevitable. The advice for keeping rats away from your house and garden all seems infeasible. Avoid tall grass, get rid of fallen fruit, make sure there are no places for them to hide, don’t feed birds. So we could get rid of rats if we got rid of all that makes the garden lively: the tall grasses and flowering perennials near the house, the apple tree, the wooden deck, the bird feeder. And then covered the ground with concrete all around the house where the rats tend to dig their entrances into the foundation. I can only hope that all the neighbourhood’s outdoor cats do their job and don’t let the rats multiply too much.

But it actually looks cute, doesn’t it?

For my lunchtime workout today I went out and shovelled snow for 50 minutes. A total body workout in fresh air and sunshine, and for a meaningful goal. What could be better?

The pile next to the driveway reaches up to my waist now.