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You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/may/06/praise-faltering-spring

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In praise of … a faltering spring In praise of … a faltering spring
(5 months later)
When spring appears to make assured steps only to retract them in a show of untidy hail knocking at the window, it leads us all on a merry dance. Poised on the edge of more hours in the open, after Monday's sun, Tuesday's forecast clouds could force us back indoors, with a nagging reminder about clouts and not casting them till May is out. But is there, in the very perversity of this time of year, room for a small satisfaction in the reliability of the unreliable, in a spirited refusal to stick with the smooth seasonal plan. Those hankering for an orderly transition can pay homage to the extended daylight, which stretches out reliably after the equinox, in rain and shine. But if sunglasses appear only to be immediately whisked off, and if longer days are not necessarily more temperate ones, there can be no donning of thinner clothing in anticipation of summer. What there can be, however, is recognition of a peculiarly British season.When spring appears to make assured steps only to retract them in a show of untidy hail knocking at the window, it leads us all on a merry dance. Poised on the edge of more hours in the open, after Monday's sun, Tuesday's forecast clouds could force us back indoors, with a nagging reminder about clouts and not casting them till May is out. But is there, in the very perversity of this time of year, room for a small satisfaction in the reliability of the unreliable, in a spirited refusal to stick with the smooth seasonal plan. Those hankering for an orderly transition can pay homage to the extended daylight, which stretches out reliably after the equinox, in rain and shine. But if sunglasses appear only to be immediately whisked off, and if longer days are not necessarily more temperate ones, there can be no donning of thinner clothing in anticipation of summer. What there can be, however, is recognition of a peculiarly British season.
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