After the dark days of winter, spring is nature's alarm call to bring everything back to life. It seems to come round like clockwork, but is that really so? John Craven and Keeley Donovan investigate what makes springtime weather so special. In the New Forest, there is a sense of anticipation in the air as its most famous residents prepare to give birth - Jules Hudson takes to the saddle to find out why spring is such a crucial time for the New Forest ponies. Few things on the forager's calendar are more sensationally seasonal than the sap of the silver birch. The window to tap into this elusive liquor lasts just a couple of weeks. Margherita Taylor reports on the best way to turn to the trees for a springtime pick-me-up. Paul Martin breathes new life into his Victorian smallholding in Wiltshire. His spring diary starts with a hunt for the perfect breed of sheep to help restore his fields.