Spring Blooms

Despite the very chilly wind, everything seems to be bursting out into flower right now. Even the Bluebells are beginning to bloom - still very early for them. As we walked around Shipley Park this morning, the Blackthorn trees were in full swing...

their brightly coloured stamens picking out the centre of a million little white flowers.

On the site of the Old Hall on Shipley Hill, an Amelanchier was also in full bloom.

Not something you see every day, but surely worth it for such a spectacle. White flowers again, but this time contrasting with the reddish tinged, new leaf growth.

More white flowers, this time in the shape of Cherry Blossom. This tree is always good value at this time of year, but sometimes has it's beauty cut short by bad weather. Not so this year!

More lowly perhaps, but no less impressive, were these Violets which we found a couple of days ago.

Plenty of them too, growing along what we refer to as the 'Donkey Walk'.

Back to Shipley Hill and the grounds of the Derby Lodge are bright with Daffodils.

The Tea shop which usually occupies the lodge, has closed temporarily, so for now, the Daffodils have it all to themselves.