Hodsock

Snowdrops don't last for long but in the British Isles they are the true heralds of springtime. And can there be a finer place to see snowdrops in bloom than in the grounds of Hodsock Priory - just over the border in Nottinghamshire? Shirley and I had never been there before this morning. The "window of opportunity" only lasts for a fortnight and of course you want to see the flowers in sunshine not beneath overcast skies:-

The Snow Drop

The Snow-Drop - winter’s timid child 

Awakes to life bedew’d with tears;

And flings around its fragrance mild, 

And where no rival flowerets bloom,

Amidst the bare and chilling gloom, 

A beauteous gem appears!

Mary Robinson (1757-1800)

And before the Grade I listed sixteenth century gatehouse there were even some very early daffodils, tempted out of hiding by the unseasonably warm days we have recently enjoyed:-