It's spring!

Officially, today is the first day of spring. Usually, I am full of joy just by the thought that everything will come to life again, that I will see the blooming trees, then fresh green, that I will hear the birds singing and that I could feel the warm sunny beams!
Well, I'm still in Manchester and although I've seen some blossoming trees, it's rainy, rainy, rainy, depressing rainy and no sign of sun.. I didn't feel the spring in the air, I don't anticipate it nor feel it coming soon.
Today I wished someone would offer me a flower - any flower, no matter how fragile it would have been. It would have made my day. So that I'd feel that even in the absence of the sun - spring has officially arrived :)