Opening Time

I had hoped for a right royal blip today. A and I set off early for Sandringham with a pretty table decoration that she had made. (All this seemed unlikely when we were up at 4am treating her for severe earache.) We did not get there for opening time but were in plenty of time to see Her Majesty emerge from the morning church service, after which many children were able to present their gifts. However the nice policeman who frisked me on the way in made it clear there was to be no photography :-(

Soon after, we were talking to one of the estate workers who informed us that all the bunches of flower will be combined in a large arrangement by the royal florists BUT the Queen likes the small gifts, such as table decorations, to be placed in her own rooms. This news got the biggest smile of the day :-))

Crocus sieberi subspecies sieberi gets blipped again. This is a different form to the one shown a couple of days ago. The purple marking is darker and bolder, note also the little purple 'V' on each of the inner petals, a nice refinement. The buds have a lovely shape as they open.