The early flowers are out, the trees are starting to blossom in glorious pinks and yellows. The sun is warm on your back and higher in the sky. You can tell it's spring in middle England, where the majority of the Formula One teams are based. And if you were to ignore nature, there would still be a couple of indicators that winter has run its course.
First, there's the blossoming of F1 previews on the newsstands and then there's the absence of the cars themselves from the factories. They are down in Melbourne (where of course it's autumn just to confuse matters). We stand on the brink of a new season of motor racing, and like the advent of spring itself, it can't help but put a spring in your step.
With 20 races, stretching all the way to the start of Christmas shopping, there's a lot to cram in. So what are the highlights of the year to come? For a start, how about six world champions lining up on the grid? Kimi Raikkonen is back and everyone will be watching to see if his motivation levels have improved since he left Ferrari to go rallying.
Bruno Senna isn't a world champion, but we all know his uncle was. This year, he's in a half-decent Williams car, a team that Ayrton raced for. When his uncle died at the wheel of a Williams, Bruno was banned from racing carts by his family and only returned to the track 10 years later. He's in a hurry to prove himself against younger rivals.
As always, there will be plenty of those. France has three drivers on the grid, but for the first time in ages there are no Italians. Jarno Trulli had his seat pulled at the last minute in favour of Vitaly Petrov. We've also waved goodbye to a reluctant Rubens Barrichello, who will ply his trade in the United States.
As for the teams, it's all got a bit confusing. Renault are now called Lotus, Lotus are Caterham and Virgin are Marussia. At the front of the grid though, there's little change. The top four all retain the same drivers and like the other teams, they've been working through the winter to get a vital advantage.