The sun is streaming through my windows today – the memory of last weeks snow fading fast. There is that stirring of nature and promise of Spring just around the corner. This is what I wrote in my Celebrating the Year 2009 Art Journal (in green type) illustrated with a silk painting that I did of one of the most delicate of late winter / early spring flowers – the Snowdrop.
FEBRUARY
“The Snowdrop, in purest white array,
First rears her head on Candlemas day.”
Snowdrops – Silk Paining 1999
TO A SNOWDROP
LONE Flower, hemmed in with snows and white as they
But hardier far, once more I see thee bend
Thy forehead, as if fearful to offend,
Like an unbidden guest. Though day by day,
Storms, sallying from the mountain-tops, waylay
The rising sun, and on the plains descend;
Yet art thou welcome, welcome as a friend
Whose zeal outruns his promise! Blue-eyed May
Shall soon behold this border thickly set
With bright jonquils, their odours lavishing
On the soft west-wind and his frolic peers;
Nor will I then thy modest grace forget,
Chaste Snowdrop, venturous harbinger of Spring,
And pensive monitor of fleeting years!
William Wordsworth1819.
“I always remember February as the month it will snow. I was at home this year during the heavy snowfall which almost brought parts of the country to a standstill over the course of a week. Not only is it a glorious sight to wake up to a completely white world, but even better if you are lucky enough to wake early and capture it in a completely untouched state. Although it can sometimes be very frustrating what else brings us to the point of standing still in this hectic world?
The Snowdrop appears in February and is a symbol of hope that winter will eventually give way to spring. Snowdrops are also known as Candlemas bells and Candlemas Day is celebrated on 2nd February.
You cannot let February slip by without a visit to one of the many Snowdrop Walks that are advertised and discover a woodland carpet of pure white snowdrops emerging from the decaying brown leaves. Such a delightful and magical sight and one that you can never tire of. Afterwards finish the day with a steaming hot mug of chocolate.”
Let us hope that after the heap of snow we have already experienced in January that February will be kinder to us. I imagine that for most of us the gardening books will be coming out again and plans to spring clean and decorate are being made, if not already underway.
What are you looking forward to doing?
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I’m a February baby and remember so many snowy and/or icy birthdays, that it’s often felt just like a continuation of mirky January. But yesterday and today, the sun has finally come out and stayed for a while, I’ve spotted shoots in the flower beds and I can barely hear myself think for the noise of the birds – I am actually feeling a little bit springy. Warmth is what I most long for – it seems a long time since we could stroll around without umpteen layers of woollies.
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It seems the warmer days were short lived here it is back to only 4 degrees this weekend!
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I look forward to some snow! February is the month for snow here.So…
Love the silk painting you made!
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Hi Vivien! Thank you so much for the lovely comment you left on my posting and for entering my olive oil giveaway! But please make sure to also become a follower. You see, it’s a requirement and everyone else have already become and I wouldn’t want to seem unfair. I certainly want to include you, too!
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Hi Rose I thought I was following but I will check my settings and adjust them if I need to – a lot of WordPress has been changing recently so maybe I have missed doing something. viv
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February…promise of Spring…hahaha! I am expecting that around Apr 15? I was fortunate to see snowdrops in the UK in March a couple of years ago. Your silk painting is beautiful.
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We had a few really good almost summer days in March last year then a dreadful April and summer. February is only a promise of Spring it is still classed as late winter – March is really the beginning but it can snow as late as the end of April. Once or twice I remember it snowed on my daughters birthday April 26th. There is one thing we cannot really have control over and that is the British weather!
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It’s exciting here watching clumps of snowdrops coming up… but in rather odd places! I am looking forward to being able to divide them and hopefully, over several years, naturalise them in the woodland.
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We don’t seem to be able to grow Snowdrops in our Yorkshire garden even after many tries so I have to wait until we go to our beach cottage to see them. I am doing the same as you trying to encourage them to run riot in the wood instead of the nettles, ivy, willow, dead nettle etc!!
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Your silk painting is beautiful, I do love the snowdrops. One of nearest snowdrop walks is almost completely under water.I hope the water will recede and the snowdrops will still flower!
Sarah x
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It is a bit soggy here and next weekend we will get to see how soggy it is in Scotland!
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The silk painting is gorgeous! I was so happy to see a little cluster of snowdrops in my garden this morning. I am looking forward to flinging open the windows and hanging washing on the line in the garden again!
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Washing dried outside always smells so much fresher – I am looking forward to being able to put our duvet on the line for a good blow soon and get the curtains done too. Thank you for your comment about the silk painting – it wasn’t a very good attempt really and sadly I don’t get to do any at the moment but I still have the paints just in case and might have another go soon.
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February started in the most fantastic way for us. Partly due to your photographs on this blog we went to Shrewsbury for the first time (it was DH’s birthday). WOW, what a place. I loved it, we used to live in York but Shrewsbury is sooooo much nicer. Thank you!
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I’m glad you enjoyed your visit to Shrewsbury – I find it is quite a compact little place which is good for us when we go down and take my mum-in-law out for a spin in the wheelchair we can do the town and the park in an afternoon and there is a great choice of tea shops for a hot drink.
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Ah! Now I discover another of your blogs! Thanks so much for visiting mine and leaving this calling card. Snow drops are one of my favorites, and something I rarely see here in California. In another state, on days gone by, though, seeing their little heads under the melting ice always gave me a thrill. Thank you for re-sharing the Wordsworth poem. What a lovely slow-down moment on a busy day.
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We are waiting here for someone to send us some sunshine LOL !- I expect you have quite a lot over there – we are in short supply over here at the moment – the sight of snowdrops is exciting because it means Spring is coming soon for us.
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That’s so pretty. We must not have snowdrops here – I’ve never seen them before.
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Hi, thank you for you lovely (exciting!) comment yesterday. I’d looked at that beautiful painting and missed the fact that you were the artist. Wow, you are very talented! I also didn’t know about Candlemas Day being the 2nd February (Ollie’s birthday) I feel snowdrops are destined for my garden! We loved Shrewsbury when we stayed there a few years ago, even though it is the setting for one of my many camping disaster stories to be retold at a later date! Claire x
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Now you have me intrigued so you will have to post on the camping tale- it wasn’t on the Battlefields car park was it where we had Christmas Dinner??
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You are a talent, that is a gorgeous composition. I could totally see that in some beautiful home decor shop.
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Hello, I’ve just come across your lovely reflection on snowdrops. Because they bloom at this time of year, I think they’re such a special flower. I always love rediscovering mine as they come up through the leaves because I can never remember exactly where I’ve planted them.
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Hi Wendy and welcome it is nice to hear from you and I always like to discover new and interesting blogs and yours is both (I have had a quick visit already). I have never come across your blog before so I am quite excited to find that you are undertaking an ongoing major project like we are at our Beach Cottage in Scotland although we only have 3/4 of an acre and a third of that is woodland. I see you are into Bees in a big way – we have Bees but they were not intended ones – they moved into our compost heap but I believe if left alone they are quite harmless. One or two people that comment on my blog have also got major projects on and run small holdings or love gardening so you might be interested to link through to them too – just look in my sidebar. Hope to hear from you again. Viv
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Oh, I wish I was as close to spring as you are. We still have a good solid two months of cold and snow. But at least the days are getting longer!
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Thanks for all this, Viv. I’ve really enjoyed reading your blog and I look forward to following. Hope everything works out with your wild bees.
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