Snowdrops...

...and snowflakes.

For a bit of R&R we took ourselves out to see some snowdrops; from the list on offer, selecting Abbotsford, as we don't associate it with those flowers.

Discovering that, although the 'gardens' don't open until March, the estate itself is open and free to enter, so we began with a walk by the Tweed in the bright sunshine, with a cold wind generating running eyes. But only one or two snowdrops, and they were almost over.

However, they were in greater numbers on the slopes under the trees, discovered on our return towards the house. In the the photos they look too scattered, so here is a shot of one obliging bloom.

Close to the house we found a clump of spring snowflake (Leucojum), so I have included them as an extra as these are often assumed to be snowdrops (Galanthus) rather than a different Genus. There are subtle differences, particularly in the green markings. I hope you like them, thanks to Anni for hosting Flower Friday.

I could not claim that this was the best ever display of snowdrops; other gardens have far more, sweeping away as far as the eye can see, but the café is good, the staff are friendly and approachable, there are other attractions at the right time of year, so we thoroughly enjoyed the outing.

On our way home under a spectacular sky, a dark cloud was depositing rain over to the east, creating a rainbow and another brewing up, towering over to the west behind the Pentlands - but we reached home avoiding a drenching.