Fiona sent these to show the snowdrops in her garden are already out, marvellous indeed!
not in Fionas garden but quite nearby, lots of snowdrops are already out! milder by the coast and a more sheltered area.
and a wee robin across the road.
does the saying 'a watched pot never boils' translate into a watched bud never flowers' ? the oriental hellebores are starting to bud, this one opens to a small pink flower
this one has larger pink flowers with dark markings
this one has dark purple flowers with bright yellow stamens
this lovely crumbly compost is from the back of the manure pile at the farm, I anticipate it will grow marvellous weeeds in amongst the vegetables.
quietly unfurling in the corner of the coldfream is an Iris reticulata 'Katherine Hodgkin'
the snowdrop in the coldframe is indeed a beautiful double, the garden ones still not out.
in the garden the primulas are being brave enough to start to flowering, this is 'Pettycoats'
and another primula 'Marie Crousse'
this is the view from the stables where Teddy and Robbie stay, near Slammanan, looking towards the Ochils. photograph taken late Wednesday afternoon on the most zoom the camera will do.
on Monday norning it was such a gorgeous day that I felt I had to 'do' something, as I had to go to work for the afternoon I decided to walk there, along the old railway line I use to cycle to work during the summer. a wee sprinkling of snow on the hills.
much like when you drive,the pace of cycling blinds you to the things you notice at a slower pace, this stone bench has 'Gartshores Rest' carved into it. and I've been past it countless times before and never noticed! its a curious thing because Gartshore is at least another four or six miles away.
just coming out, I'm not sure if this counts as the 'first snowdrop in the garden' as it is in a pot in the coldframe. nice surprise as my hand written label just says 'bulbs'!
nice chunky buds so there is a possibility they are double ones.
on one side of the bridge all is calm
on the other it races away.
a wee red coo peeking over the hill
the view
a robin takes flight just as I press the shutter
bird of prey, just before it flew away
this lichen, growing on the wall and a tree, almost looking like crinkly leaves of lettuce.
Young Angus takes a look at the snow
and doesn't seem too sure. . .
this is the car park at work, shortly after this it started to melt and turn to yucky slushy stuff. the local roads and traffic all ground to a halt, not being able to cope. . happens every time!
Dave on Robbie, who is just coming back into work after being off for three months. This is his first ten minute walk, and I will be starting to long rein him mid-week.
Robbie, being handsome.
looks and feels like building brick.
here they are. sometimes they come up in the oddest places, having been moved inadvertantly during theyear when I am doing flowery stuff and digging in the borders.
using a sieve to take lumps out of the compost.
two trays of Leek Porvite and two trays of Onion Red Baron. also four pots with some Early Nantes 2 in the hope of some early baby carrot treats. All these seeds are left over from last year, so I am still holding to my 'use them up before buying any more'.
these are last years leeks, some are Porvite and some are an unknown.
one fine big leek in the front.
the brussels showing some wee green ones being eaten by something
there don't seem to be any purple ones at all, I'll leave the plants standing for just now as I hate looking at a bare garden!
Orkney Sunset, October 2003
