THIS time last week I was writing about spring and shorts that don’t fit. This week, it’s really cold and there’s talk of snow. How did that happen?

In reality, there are still lots of daffodils out in gardens and hedgerows, trying to bring a bit of joy despite the weather. Daffodils are funny old things, they don’t flower long and you have to keep the leaves intact for several weeks, and yet they do seem to be the harbinger of spring.

Interestingly, all of the 27,000 cultivated varieties (who counted them?) are poisonous, including all parts of the plant which explains why they don’t get munched by deer and rabbits. Despite their toxicity, extracts from the plant are used to treat Alzheimer’s disease. They are all part of the genus narcissus, named after the Greek young man who was reputedly good looking – the drooping head is said to represent Narcissus bending over to look at himself (seriously, who dreams this up?). The name daffodil is said to originate from a Dutch translation meaning ‘that which comes early’.

A field of daffodils can last for up to 50 years and the UK is the largest producer of the flowers, producing about half the world’s production, although they were introduced by the Romans, as usual. Traditional has it that if a daffodil blooms on Chinese New Year, it brings luck to the whole family for the year. On that basis, we have planted quite a few in our field and, hopefully, they will slowly spread over the years to come, along with primroses, so at least the future generations will be cheered up in the dark days of spring.

For now, we just need to get through this chilly bit, get the shorts on and get into that pub beer garden sooner rather than later!