Well, here we are in the new solar year. When we were out
walking this afternoon we noticed the catkins already displayed on the hazel
bushes, and were remarking how Nature is never really dormant, least of all in
our mild island climate.
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| Spotted in Yorkshire, 19th December 2017 |
Having said that, I was stunned to see these snowdrops in
bloom last week. We were in Horsforth, outside Leeds ,
and this was still three days before the solstice. I generally expect to see
the first of them around the third week of January, depending on the kind of
year it is.
Of course, the best (or worst) of winter is yet to come. For
me, ‘best’ would include some decent frosts and two or three feet of snow; and
just because we have reached the turn of the year with no more than a dusting
of the white stuff, that doesn’t mean we’re in the clear. The legendary winter
of 1947 (a little while before I was born) didn’t actually get going until the
end of January, after which the heavy snows and persistent frosts made
everyone’s life in those austere, fuel-deprived times, a misery - although it was offset by one of the best
summers of the century.
Well, I thought my snowdrops might bring a little cheer to anyone who sees them. And if they don’t, let me wish all my readers a very happy Christmas and a prosperous 2018.
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