Early Spring Flowers

At long last, we managed to get out and about once more this morning. After several days of bad weather and 'other things to do', we thought it was time we checked on the progress of the snowdrops on Shipley Hill. We were not disappointed.

It has been very wet over the past few days and yet more rain is forecast later today, so it was nice to be able make the most of this brief window of fine weather. The only fly in the ointment was the stiff breeze which continues to make things a little difficult.

Nodding in the wind, these little marvels are always a great sign that winter is on its way out. Here, on the northern side of the hill, large mats of Snowdrops were standing up bravely in the wind.

A little digital 'bloom' makes them seem a bit ethereal.

As well as the Snowdrops, the Daffodils are also making an effort to open their colourful blooms.

Again, it was a little tricky getting a sharp picture thanks to the breeze.

Back home and in from the cold, we are greeted by the spectacularly red colour of our Amaryllis blooming in its pot on the kitchen windowsill. A gift from our friend Jayne, last year it produced one flowering stem with three individual flowers on the top. This year, following much nurturing and feeding, it has produced two flowering stems, the first of which has four flowers on it with the second one waiting for its moment of glory. I have removed the anthers from the ends of each stamen before they produce huge amounts of pollen and make Malcolm sneeze! This also seems to prolong the flowering period, so that's another plus!