Hello clouds hello sky

It's been a pig of a term, and I've just spent the morning trying to sort out the Administrative Cockup That Should Never Have Been. 

To take my mind off things, I'm trying to concentrate on first signs of spring - always a thing I love, and an amazing stress reducer. I've been trying to determine my favourite - the great swathes of daffodils I pass on the way to work? The chortling blackbirds? A thrush with grass for the nest in its beak, producing a comical moustache effect? The very first tender leaves appearing on the trees? The lighter days? The way I can get out of bed without shivvering?

This year, I think the prize probably goes to the pair of magpies making their nests in one of the trees outside my office. They just pick up sticks in their beaks and drop said sticks at a fork in the branches until something sticks - but it does seem to work, and it seems to be a proper working nest now, as I sometimes see a long black tail hanging out the end. 

Have you encountered any pleasant and uplifting spring-like things recently? Do tell! It's Friday afternoon and I bet a lot of us could do with something cheering!

"Deathly Hallows" Cover Art: If You Want Something Done Properly, Do It Yourself

A lot of my f-list posts feature very detailed and scholarly analyses of the new Deathly Hallows covers - right down to the colour scheme and design of the robes in some cases. I'm very impressed, but really don't have that much to add - it's all been done much better already.

Instead, I'd like to know - if you could commission your perfect Deathly Hallows cover art, what would you have on it?