"Every year it is the same. I wake up to realise that I have, once again, missed some seasonal event in the natural world. The dramatic courtship dance of the Great Crested Grebe has eluded me, even though there are a couple of confiding pairs in the local riverside marina. And I must plan an expedition to watch eels migrating upriver before it is too late (for the eels and me). This year, however, I was reminded in good time of my wish to see Pasqueflowers in bloom."