The strengthening sun stripped away the snow.
From under the drifts, a few cheery chard plants are basking in the cold frames.
But the freshening breeze turned violent and toppled a spruce down onto the garden.
A taller tree and the chard would be basking in shards of glass and splinters of wood.
But no, the only victim is a forsythia, which thrives on any kind of abuse.
