Cometh the hour to witness a most beautiful splash of the most sweetly scented English wildflower.
Should you spy a dash of colour in a passing wood, it’s a good indication that the land hasn’t seen a plough for 500 years.
These little bulbs were once an integral part of the Elizabethan fashion industry, being ground into a starch paste to add an extra robustness to then modern ruff. Fortunately for the humble bluebell the oversized 16c trendy collars went out of fashion after just a couple of generations, perhaps when the folk realised what twerps they looked. And did this realisation coincided with the invention of the mirror?
So I keep eyes peeled for that carpet of blue, dazzling across the landscape from late April - just before the beech tree canopy crowds out the fragile light to steal their thunder away.