Snowdrops

Snowdrop time. Here in the UK you are not allowed to gather snowdrops from the wild but years ago when on a popular woodland walk I found a path covered in slightly squished bulbs that a dog had dug up. Since they were going to be walked on anyway I reckoned it was fine to 'save' them and took them home. Those 5 or so bulbs have grown over the years to become about 12 clumps dotted around both our gardens. The cyclamen are beginning to flower as well. Ive never liked cyclamen, I always associated them with supermarket plants at Christmas but now that the garden is growing more to my plan it's easier to have them as part of a more naturalistic planting, both the Autumn and Spring ones. It's a thrill to see the tiny coils unwind themselves and pop out a tiny head of jolly colour. The cowslip is flowering today as well.

Thanks to all for your comments on my last post, it's been lovely to make brief contact with old blog friends. I'm going to try and make myself do one post every month this year. I've had a non-bed day today so I'm feeling perked by that after the longest post exertion low I've had in a very long time. I usually crash for anything between a day and 2 weeks after seeing people but with all the snow clearing of winter this has lasted over two months and ha freaked me out. Not that I'd do it differently. If I hadn't been clearing the snow on the flat roof it would very likely have collapsed, so I feel all the efforts of December were really worth it.

So in the spirit of achieving something beyond bed I got much needed clothes washed and hung out to dry in the suddenly milder day. The ladybirds (ladybugs) were also waking from hibernation today, stretching their legs in the sun and looking as glamorous as ever in their red coats. I imagine I know how they were feeling, it's like being kept in a stale box and then suddenly having space and air all around you. I could feel myself unfolding. I even let my pasty legs get some sun on them, I worry about not getting Vitamin D when I'm bed bound so today was a good 20 minute top up for them. They are so white, but no match for a snowdrop.