On the road from Łódź

I travelled to Łódź today to chair a conference on human resources (a hot topic in Poland's high-growth regions). The road linking Poland's first and second city is inadequate. The first 70 km or so is fine (dual carriage way to Rawa Mazowiecka), the remaining 60km is as above, dotted with small towns, traffic jams, roadworks and other distractions that ensure that the time taken to traverse the 130km/85 miles between Warsaw and Łódź by road is 2 hours 30 mins - the same time it takes to do the distance by train.

Right: At last! Today on the road to Łódź I saw the first nesting storks of 2008. This nest is on a man-made platform. Some storks' nests can weigh up to two tonnes, Moni informs me. The return to Poland of these big birds is a sure sign that spring's here in earnest.

This time last year:

Aerial views of the ground