This Amaryllis (Amaryllidaceae)........

..............was given to a friend for her Birthday and has just opened it's first bud. She is very pleased with it. I did not realise they were frost hardy but apparently they can be grown against a south facing wall in a sheltered spot. When grown outside, they flower in Autumn and their leaves only appear in late Winter or Spring. Probably the fact that we normally have them in the house in pots, accounts for the fact that this one's leaves are already dying down and, to be honest, look a mess! (but the flower is lovely).
For the first time in over two years, I have a stinking cold - my nose is running so fast, it could take part in a sprint and win!! Oh well, it will go eventually but it has dampened my spirits a bit and I really don't feel like going out to try to capture anything more inspiring - sorry!!!

Having said all that, it really is a lovely morning - all doors and windows open - the sun is shining and the temperature is 7 deg C.

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