The first day of February saw southern Wales blanketed by snow. Not as much as had been forecast but enough to prompt me to go out in the cold NE wind. Our bird feeders were also in very high demand thanks to the conditions. But it didn't last, it had all but gone from lower levels by Sunday and in the Black Mountains by Monday morning. By the time I reached Caerleon at lunchtime on Monday not only was the sun shining but the temperature had climbed to a balmy 12C! Of course in Wales no two days are the same weatherwise, and so it proved on Tuesday 5th. Cloud at headheight, miserable and grey for the most part with only limited brightness. Definitely not a day to seek out trains, but as I had an appointment in Abergavenny in the afternoon I managed to catch both the 4V20 and the 4V22, no 6M86 today and I missed 4B35 to Moreton on Lugg.

On Thursday 7th I had a hospital appointment in London. It wasn't until 15:00 but I left home early, catching the 08:08 from Abergavenny and arriving at Paddington shortly after 10:30, heading over to Stratford and the QE Park to see what picture taking opportunities all the new development offered. Before leaving London I had been over to Stratford on occasions, sadly the lineside undergrowth and huge penitentiary style fences don't do much for photography but I managed a few, on what was a bright but pretty raw day, with a biting wind.

Monday 11th dawned clear, as had been forecast. 6B13 Robeston to Westerleigh is due through Newport at around 10:00, which coincided with the morning high tide. So off to Newport I went, after which I came home via Cwmbargoed, where immaculate 66182 was on the 4V01 from Earles Sidings, having just been released from the Toton paintshop.

Thursday 14th and Friday 15th were spring-like with unbroken sun from dawn 'til dusk and a pleasant 13C. On Friday there were serious delays on the Marches Line after a 175 on a Manchester to Milford Haven service caught fire between Hereford and Pontrilas. The fire brigade attended, pasengers were transferred to buses at Pontrilas for their onward journey and the line was closed from mid morning until late afternoon. On Saturday the offending unit was still at Pontrilas, in the siding which used to be used to unload timber, awaiting a drag back to Chester.

On Monday 18th we were treated to a rare sight of the daytime 6V75 steel empties from Dee Marsh, and unlike Saturday's rather paltry load Monday's train consisted of 27 assorted IHAs and BYAs and an FLHH 66/6. The afternoon DBC working to Moreton on Lugg ran every day but Friday. When FLHH take over this flow from the end of March DBC will become something of a stranger in daylight along the Marches Line, a complete reversal from when we arrived almost two years ago. Friday also yielded my first shot of the 6V54 timber empties since the autumn. Spring is definitely in the air.

On the 25th we headed to Norfolk for a few days, stopping off en-route at my father in law's in Marlborough for a couple of nights. No trains on the North Norfolk Coast, but a good day on Tuesday along the B&H between Bedwyn and Crofton and a few pictures west of March on our way home on Saturday.