Monday, May 14, 2012

Sunshine?

Looking out of the window the sky is overcast and it is 'mizzling' as we used to call it. That rain that soaks you through without noticing..... not quite drizzle, and once it is set in, it tends to stay for the day. So to brighten up the day and start the week on a positive note, I thought I would post a picture of some Red Campion (Silene dioica) and the beautiful bluebells (hyacinthoides non-scripta)that are
peppering our banks and woods at the moment. The origin of the name of Red (or White) Campion delights me on such a day. Silenus was the drunken, happy god of the woodlands in Greek mythology. Entirely appropriate for a flower that creates splashes of colour along the banks of lanes. As for our beautiful bluebell, which is under threat from hybrisation (sounds like an electric car) and/or the Spanish bluebell, they are finally blooming despite dire warnings about an early spring. The miserable April we had has put their flowering back and they are only just carpeting the woods and banks around me, like an inverted sky.
This weekend I also sighted my first Orange-tip butterflies - such pretty butterflies and much less commonly sighted around here than the Peacocks and Red Admirals.

4 comments:

  1. Yay, bluebells! The bluebells are out here where I am; I can't walk about in the woods too well while it's so wet but at least I can look outside my window and see them. That and wild garlic; went through the trouble of a mate of mine bringing some from her plot onto to now be glimpsing the stuff flowering just outside my fence. Oh well, more to put into a quiche for me!

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  2. It is also wonderful wrapped round fish and baked - the garlic leaf that is, not the bluebell!

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  3. Could so do with some of that sunshine here. How's you back?

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  4. Not too bad thanks Tess. I am becoming really good at supervising!!!! My hip is performing well it is just that steel caps are not brilliant for the achilles tendons, particularly when walking miles and in mud. However gorgeous sun here today and we feel briefly that summer might be round the corner. Swallows, and housemartins everywhere and the swifts have just arrived. Up to London tomorrow which always makes me doubley grateful I live in the countryside!

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