Hawthorn blossom

I know it's a bit similar to yesterday's blip... but I do love the hawthorn blossom, even though it is an introduced weed around here. It reminds me of my old home land (which is no doubt the reason it was first planted!) and is a true herald of the coming spring.

The local hedgerows are bursting into flower - next will be the cherry plums, escaped from the old orchards that were once so popular in this area (perhaps before people realised that cherry plums have more stone than fruit...) I'm sure cherry plums will feature in this journal at some future point, as we always pick them in vast quantities (they're free! and I can't abide waste).

Some of the buds are a bit blurry because, even though I was clutching the stem in one hand to hold it still, the wind was blowing a real gale and the tree would not stop moving!

See the little bug that I didn't know was there.