Just another spring day in paradise...

The snow squalls continued through dusk, in just about every variant. Sometimes wet and heavy, plopping onto the balcony, other times just a feathery swirl across the front window.

By morning, though, the storm had blown itself through, leaving only frosted branches on the trees and highlights along the roofs. The neighbor's garden hose lay frozen alongside the flower bed, abandoned mid-cultivation. Even the bicycles have been pulled under shelter.

But there were the normal number of Dutch riders on the roads this morning. The skies are clear, the sun's rising warm, and there is a noticeable difference in the scene from my office, contrasted to the grey cold a few days ago.

Despite the late frost, there is definitely a sense of spring this week everywhere I look.

Yes, really...