wildflowers, weeds and other delights

Before the soaking on my walk I did manage to smell the bluebells. I was prompted by an interesting discussion on the radio on our way to the drumming lesson. Unlike Spanish bluebells which smell of onions, English bluebells are trying to entice bees into the dark woodland and smell of apple, lemon, mango, lychees, ginger and mown grass. Apparently. Despite my super sensitive nose, I'm not a wine taster type and so didn't really get all those hints, it just smelt "nice" (see why I'm not a wine buff?)

As a teenager, I had a delightful English exam (I can't remember if it was GCSE or A level) in which I described at length a walk through the bluebells in Dufton Ghyll. I thoroughly enjoyed writing it and was somewhat sad that unlike other essays I couldn't get to keep it. According to the guy on the radio being interviewed, bluebells are the nation's favourite wildflower. It won't surprise you to know that I don't really do favourites and haven't gone about ranking my preferences - I delight in pretty much all flowers and whatever is in front of me gets admired for being awesomely unique.

When even younger, my sister and I sat with 2 of our cousins on the pavement outside their house trying to sell daisies and dandelions to passers by. It didn't really draw much business - I've clearly never been cut out to be an entrepreneur. But I love the fact that I saw the beauty in what others class as weeds. My son still often picks me dandelions for a vase (one of the few nature facts I remember my Dad sharing when I was very little is that dandelion is from "dents de lion", lion's teeth - I've today learned that's from the sharply indented leaves). There's a section in my son's baby memories book (a rare section I've completed) with space for pressed flowers given to me on the birth of the baby. In it are the daisies my girly picked and gave to me anxiously as I left her to go into hospital to deliver her new brother.

So, there's a whole heap of stories about me and wild flowers. I'm still feeling heavy hearted and squeezed so have started a jigsaw - am loving the colours and textures depicted.