Yesterday was yet another hot sunny day which felt more like the beginning of May than the end of February here in the UK. I was driving through much less traffic than normal - as it was half term perhaps everyone had gone to the beach? - and was able to appreciate the roadside plants. Hastened into full bloom from their previously tight buds of a few days ago were the blackthorn trees - a fresh clean white delicate cloud on black stems and trunks.
When I was looking for suitable illustrative photos for this post I also found these two pleasing pics above and below.
And I must admit that the Blackthorn Fairy was one of my favourites when I worked with the Flower Fairies at Blackie publishers in the 70s.
I pass a spectacular blackthorn hedge on my way to morning exercise classes in Malmesbury. This beauty stretches the full length of the road past the huge Dyson vacuum cleaner factory on the edge of town and is currently covered in a snow of blossom. I have always wondered whether it was planted specially as an imaginative screen or just left after all the building was done. Either way, I think it shows great foresight and imagination! It would have been so easy just to opt for a more conventional approach to hedging and what a loss that would have been.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds spectacular.
DeleteThe flower fairies take me straight back to my childhood. I can see the beautiful books now.... what was your involvement with them?
ReplyDeleteCaroline, I used to be a commissioning editor at the Blackie London office in the late 70s, and we used to come up with ideas for re-using all the lovely Flower Fairy artwork, and licensing it for products. It was not my main focus which was on new titles, but it was lovely having the artwork around the office.
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