Thank you, Eyjfjallaökull...

Today's image of tree blossom, photographed at Holdenhurst, Dorset, is, to me, the epitome of spring, as nature begins to display its full gamut of colour. A welcome change from the hard winter experienced by most of the UK.

Another notable aspect of the day is the complete absence of contrails from commercial aircraft, which usually criss-cross the sky. This is the direct result of a good deal of British airspace being shut down for the past 36 hours or so, due to an ash cloud from Iceland's erupting Eyjfjallajökull volcano. The cloud is spreading in the high atmosphere across Scandinavia and northern Europe, causing severe disruption to air travel. The plus side is that we have our blue sky back, if only for a short period.

24-70mm f/2.8 AF-S Nikkor. 1/320 second at f/6.3. ISO 320. Polarising filter.

© 2010