Spring has sprung! (I hope)

For the first two months I was here, I was wearing my long wool coat every day and didn't touch my sunglasses until the weekends because the sun rose so late and set so early. Lately though I can get by with a sweater during the day and only need a heavy jacket at night. Before, the weather rarely topped 15 C. Now, we've had several 20 C days in a row. Since they don't have Groundhog Day, I wasn't really sure when spring was supposed to arrive here. All I knew was it was August and it was supposed to be warm outside and it was clearly not. Friends and relatives kept mentioning how it was time for their kids to go back to school, and I thought, "what on earth are they talking about, it's winter, why wouldn't their kids be in school?" So you can see that I am rather confused about how things work now.
Foruntately the walls of the office I work in are all glass and I have an enjoyable view of the yard outside and the birds and rabbits that call it home. In the last week I have noticed a distinct increase in activity of these creatures. There is a noticable buzz amongst the animal kingdom - the rabbits are skipping about, running back and forth chasing each other. One rabbit spent the entire day yesterday carrying large mouthfuls of nesting materials into a rabbit hole under the building. The birds are all bouncing around, gathering up twigs and sticks. Today I noticed a bird nest right outside my window. Surely these creatures know what's up. It may not be very warm yet, but ever so slowly the days are growing longer, the weather is warming up, and the trees are starting to blossom. Mother nature can't be lying to me, right? Surely this must mean that spring has sprung. Or at least that's what I've decided. Now if I can just figure out why I keep seeing ads for scarecrows and other autumn-related items when I watch my American tv shows. Don't they know they have their seasons mixed up?

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