Yes, spring's here and the days are getting longer. We had a fall of snow overnight, but the sun has already thawed most of it. The flags will soon be going up on the High Street for the summer season - blue and yellow ones which are the town's colours until mid June, when they get changed over for international flags. Next weekend is our first local festival of the Scottish tourist season - Hawick Reivers Festival (which in America you would call a Ren-faire); then its Common Riding season with a series of horseback rideouts every Tuesday and Saturday, to exercise the horses in preparation for the riding of the marches at the beginning of June, when our local Highland Games also take place; after that there is the Summer Festival, then finally the Jazz Festival in September so the local hotels and guest houses should be busy all summer.