Fragile and beautiful
I’d better get a wiggle on! Last Sunday I went on a snowdrop walk, but it’s March already and there are crocuses everywhere. Soon, those tulips will be along. Or is that wishful thinking?
A yellow straw trail sounded much better than slithering in the mud, as I had on previous years. The sky was looking ominous and the Community Hall was already full of tea slurpers. I had the snowdrops all to myself!
It was all done rather delightfully, with random snowdrop “facts” breaking up the sea of green and white. You can pause the slideshow if you need to, to read them properly.
Greatham , a small village 3 miles south of Hartlepool, is the site of the Hospital of God, founded in 1273 by the Bishop of Durham. Originally the hospital was founded to aid the poor, but it became over time “a house of entertainment for gentlemen”, according to Wikipedia. I’m not sure if this is a euphemism, but certainly the grounds are very grand, and contain the chapel of the parish church, St. John the Baptist. The main building now functions as a nursing home.
The rain made me scurry for the car. Another triumph for the waterproof jacket! But not before a quick shot of the Corn Lady on the village green.
No wonder she looks grim!
restlessjo 
Beautiful snowdrops, I’ve yet to take an image that does them justice but yours have! 🙂
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Thanks a lot, Sue 🙂 I always think that too! When you see a carpet of them they look a bit nothing in the shot, but my close ups were a bit more promising.
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I love snowdrops, and they seem to last a long time too, which is good. I saw some drifts of snowdrops in Scotland last week, but I was driving and there wasn’t an appropriate place to stop unfortunately.
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Ours in our little front garden have been out for weeks and weeks, Elaine. They’re just starting to go “over” now. 🙂
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The ones our garden have been out for weeks too, and I’m hoping there might be a little life left in them – the end of the garden will look very dull without them.
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Beautiful snow drops. I recently saw some on the West coast…covered in snow! Poor things.
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Ours have been lucky this year, Sue. Down south they all drowned! 🙂
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Yikes! Have the flood waters now subsided? We don’t see much in the media these days.
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I think they’re here for some time to come. There’s a warm weather forecast (16C) for the end of the week which should help to dry them out. Basking! 🙂
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Lovely snowdrops! A beautiful sign of spring 🙂 Enjoy reading the info.
I hope we will be getting some rain…
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Rain? I can send some your way, Amy 🙂 We usually have a surplus though it’s not been at all bad lately.
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We have not had real rain since last November… 😦
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Love the snowdrops – we don’t seem to have had many here, and have gone straight through to daffodils and crocuses in my garden!
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We must have all yours, Lucy 🙂 This is where I was when you were heading home last week. You must have a post up now? I’ll pop and see shortly. (the lads are watching the League Cup on TV)
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I’ve got some pics up now of the bridges but full post on the conference to come later this week once I’ve got my head around everything I learnt!
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Just seen it! Awesome photos 🙂
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I like that – ” a house of entertainment for gentlemen” – I think I might have just qualified 🙂
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I’m pretty sure you would, Robin! 🙂
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Lovely snowdrops Jo. We have Kingston Lacy not too far away (National Trust) which shows off its snowdrops every year and your pics reminded me of that. We took our son once a few years ago (he was a teenager) and he wasn’t too impressed though. His comment was: “Once you’ve seen one snowdrop, you’ve seen them all!!” Well, I can see his point but I’m sure he will appreciate them one day 😉
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I don’t think they’re the most exciting of flowers, Sherri. It’s more that they are such harbingers of Spring. We have a lovely manorial home, Kiplin Hall, in North Yorks, which does snowdrops and aconites in a lovely lakeside setting too. I was there last year and it was freezing! 🙂
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Ahhhh lovely! I saw snow drops and crocus and cherry trees and even azalea in full bloom in Horst, NL. Back here in PA it’s more snow!
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Bet you’ve got your first post up? I’ll come check soon. Just finished dinner and the lads are watching football on TV. 🙂
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Sadly the snowdrops around here didn’t do well this year – under too much water I suppose, let’s hope the bulbs don’t rot away. I’m looking forward to the golden daffodils – they cheer everything up!!
(I used to live near a Greatham – not yours of course – great little pub there that did a good Sunday lunch)
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Last year was wetter for us so this has been a really good year for them. Bizarre how it’s turned around, isn’t it?
Our Greatham used to have 3 pubs- good going for such a small village. Still got the “Hope and Anchor” and the “Bull and Dog”- next door to each other! 🙂 The Hope used to be our favourite haunt at one time. Superb Guinness!
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Ah, now you’re talking. Guinness. Haven’t had that in a long while.
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A statue with a frown face. That made me smile. That doesn’t look like a place for gentlement entertainment. Er, then again you can never ever really tell from any establishment what goes on inside. 😀
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How very true that is! 🙂 All very sedate these days, Rommel, except when the snowdrops are out.
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Lovely:) They remind me of our beautiful trilliums that carpet our forests in the early spring. Unfortunately, we awoke this morning to yet another layer of snow. I imagine it will be awhile yet before we see our spring blooms!
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Trilliums are gorgeous, Lynn 🙂 I’m sure you’ll turn the corner into Spring once this lot has melted!
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Aww. I love snowdrops. that looks like a fabulous walk.
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It was short and sweet, Colin. Just made it ahead of the rain 🙂
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I never see snowdrops – or crocuses – here. They look lovely! (However, would not want your winters.)
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In the north east we’ve had a pretty good one (so far!) Rosemary, but I do prefer an Algarve winter, when I get the chance. 🙂 Lots of Spring flowers around- did you see my 6WS?
Have a great week!
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So, the snowdrop is my flower :D. I had no idea 😆
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Live and learn 🙂 And I hate double negatives, don’t you?
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Me too, I hate double negatives. Did I use a double negative somewhere?
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Not sure if I did! 😦
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It does kind of look like an eardrop 🙂 Thank you for instructing me Jo 🙂
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I thought they were a rather nice touch. You can have too much green and white? 🙂
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you mean.. you can’t have too much green and white?
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Why is corn lady so sulky?
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Standing around with damp feet, I suspect 🙂
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Ah yes….
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I did not receive notifications about some of your posts, so I had to unfollow and follow you again :(.
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The Reader is a law unto itself so I usually have to come looking for you if I don’t see you in a while, Paula. 🙂
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You do well my friend 🙂 xx
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Glorious display of snowdrops, they are lovely. And a beautiful building too. The only other plants that look the same in a huge area are bluebells and daffodils, eg Farndale for daffs. Never heard of Greatham, so this was an interesting read. Spring flowers – snowdrops, crocuses, bluebells, daffs, tulips – just gorgeous.
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My 6WS was all Spring flowers including some lovely daphnes and irises so I thought I’d better get this one up quick. Working backwards 🙂
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Nice one Jo. As you say – not long until the tulips. 😉
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The crocuses are going wild around here, Dave, so I’m hopeful 🙂
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Aren’t snowdrops beautiful, so delicate looking, but able to survive such harsh conditions.
I shall be planting some snowdrops around my dad’s memorial seat and will soon have my mums name added to it.
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That will be beautiful, Vicky 🙂 Harbingers of Spring. We’ve had a clump in our front garden for weeks and they’re just starting to “go over”. My 6WS yesterday was all Spring flowers so I’m back to front!
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