Spring sunshine and bunny bubbles!

It's the first Sunday of Lent, which, of course, means a suspension of any austerities. And the British weather clearly wants to be part of this, because in only a few days our temperature has climbed to 17 degrees. The sun is blazing, birds are chirping and from the park I can hear sounds of families and excitement. Through my open window drift sounds of music and singing coming from somewhere within the trees. Suddenly we're all smiling and wearing lighter clothes, and there's a joyous spring in our collective step, even though, deep down, we all know this is unlikely to last, as it's still only 9th March...


Meanwhile, in Cornmarket, the March Hare is back, showering bunny bubbles all around! He is undoubtedly one of the more surreal and delightful aspects of central Oxford, someone who raises money for an orphanage in Tanzania by dressing up as the March Hare and riding an exercise bike linked to a bubble spraying machine. He'd clearly gone into some sort of winter hibernation, but now he's back, pedalling, gently spraying, waving and delighting children and adults alike. Before I see him, as I walk up the road, I see the first few bubbles, heralds of dozens more to come. Then come more, bobbing along in the breeze, glinting as they catch the sunlight, and causing excited squeals even as they defy all attempts to capture them. 

For a few seconds it's just bubbles and more bubbles and a genially waving giant hare on a bike - truly the stuff of strange dreams and hallucinations! But this is no dream: I really am walking through a sea of dancing bubbles being generated by a giant hare... and, even stranger, it's early March and I'm typing this on a day filled with glorious sunshine!