Bluebell meadow

Bluebell: Hyacinthoides non-scripta
Blackthorn: Prunus spinosa

It's taken me a while to sort out Friday's photos - I took a lot, although the light was rather hazy much of the time. I followed my most frequent circular walk, from the village up onto the downland meadow above the valley, from which I can return home down the lane which joins the main valley road close to our house. I knew there would be bluebells open in the woods by now, but I was not expecting to find a blue haze spreading across the hillside where the meadow slopes down towards the next valley. I followed the sheep tracks through the grass to inspect more closely. They were indeed bluebells, though rather smaller and with shorter stems than I'm used to seeing, and there were several large expanses of them. This grassy hillside is dotted with old trees, some of which are clearly decaying and dying. There are bluebell woods adjacent to the meadow on two sides, and I wondered if the area covered with bluebells might once have been wooded too. Later, an online search took me to a 1939 Ordnance Survey map of the area around the village, on which the woodland did indeed continue along the hillside across the area of the bluebell meadow. I haven't seen bluebells there before, but perhaps I just hadn't walked there at this time of year. It was a good discovery and a lovely walk. The extras include a shot with sheep, my favourite of the day though not the best bluebell photo, and also show the blackthorn hedges loaded with blossom which are curving through the valley's landscape.

It was a day full of small but good things: P's savoury scones went very well with the Brie, I finished taking up J's trousers and mended a jumper, and later we drank good cider. I transferred the first dozen tomato plants from modules into small pots, and there are more ready to pot on when I can find time. P planted garlic and onion sets and sowed carrots: the wet spring has slowed progress with digging and planting, so it's good to see things going in at last.