J in the UK: Spring in a Different House

Spring/change of seasons in a different dwelling is always a surprise. Finding out how your surroundings react to the weather's change, will your home be warmer/colder/retain heat and cold, what sort of critters (by critters I mean bugs-I certainly hope no mice!!!!) will arrive indoors and out, what the vegetation will do, etc.

This is the first spring in our new house. Our house is just always cold. And damp. On warm sunny days, which we haven't had many of, I open the windows to let the heat in. I remember this fall, wearing short sleeves outside, and coming home, and be freezing in the house, but go back outdoors, and warm. Just always cold. We do have a multitude of ladybirds in two windows when the sun shines (which isn't often). Things are beginning to green up outside, buds on trees/bushes. And, I have a LOT of daffodils. And I do mean a lot. They seem to be nearly everywhere. The kids were wandering around outside, or playing outside, or something, and decided to pull me a bunch. They just kept on pulling, until I told them to save some for another day. The bouquets have been going strong for nearly 3 weeks now--finally throwing them away, but there plenty more to take their place, should the kids be so inspired again, or I want something to brighten up the cold house.

My fresh-picked daffodil bouquets

We also have a pheasant family that comes out of the trees a few times per day. The male is the colorful one, and he's usually the one we see. Sometimes the female joins. Very seldom do I see both the male and female out, and I believe I've only seen the babies with once. Our pheasants are quite jitterish. As soon as they detect movement near the windows in the house, they squawk, and are in the bushes again. The challenge has been to capture them on camera. By the time you hear them outside, go to the window and spot them, then frantically run through the house for the camera and return, they are usually pretty far from the house already, or else rapidly running for cover. I have never seen them fly. I certainly hope they stick around, and aren't frightened too badly when our kids are outside playing, or worse, that they get hunted by a natural predator (fox??).