It's good to be home, as spring comes early to England

With impeccable timing, I managed to miss London's crippling snows while enjoying mild, sunny February thaw in St. Louis. Then, just as the Midwestern weather turned bad, I came home to glorious sunshine.

Brits complain incessantly about the weather. Unfairly, I believe. The south of England is a gentle, temperate place. No tornadoes, no earthquakes, no blistering heat, no freezes so deep it's dangerous to go outside. Just a continuity of temperatures usually between 40F and 80F, and enough gentle rain to keep everything consistently green.

It's the green you notice first when you arrive in winter from the States. In St. Louis, everything is brown. No matter how sunny and blue the skies above, what's below is dead, lifeless and drained of colour. Much of England stays green year round. Lawns and fields still stretch away in verdant colour, pines and evergreen bushes enliven most forests and even the dormant deciduous trees wear colourful accents of vines or mistletoe. Realistically, the depth of winter here only extends through December and January, when days are pitifully short, dark and gloomy.

By February, nature is beginning to stir. Snowdrops and early crocuses are already out in profusion around my village. Early daffodils are starting to bloom, and thousands of buds are appearing to herald the golden blaze to come next month. My first Saturday back was sunny and mild. So much so that I put the top down on the convertible, went for a drive to the garden centre, loaded up on spring plants and worked the rest of the weekend in the garden. Bliss.

There is one traditional sign of spring, however, that will not come this year. The BBC's coverage of CRUFTS, the world's biggest and most famous dog show, has always heralded the start of spring. I've always found it amongst the most endearing qualities of this canine-obsessed country that a dog show could capture more than 12 hours of prime time coverage over four days on the nation's leading television channel. But not this year. In a spectacular row, the BBC has refused to cover CRUFTS until the Kennel Club changes its rules to discourage unhealthy inbreeding.

I am torn over this. I suppose I should be proud that the BBC is being a champion for good. Of course it is a travesty when breeding makes dogs unhealthy. But isn't it up to the Kennel Club itself to monitor and champion this? Shouldn't the BBC stay objective, cover the news and give millions of viewers what they want to see? This year, at least, the answer will be "no". Rather than curling up on my sofa for four continuous nights of doggie voyeurism, I will be encouraged to watch snippets on YouTube. Just not the same thing.

It's like spring without daffodils...