Signs of spring

I did the quiet day thing - largely because, although my joints have cheered up since yesterday, the rest of me hasn't. But a need for light, and coffee, did take me up to Hillers this afternoon; there weren't many birds about, other than some scolding sparrows and blue tits, but I enjoyed walking around the show garden and seeing some of the spring blooms appearing.

I don't claim to be an expert on plants - or indeed, on anything else - but I think these are miniature irises. A quick web search has pointed me towards Iris histroides, which is also called the winter or orchid iris, and in particular a cultivar called 'Katherine Hodgkin'. Because of the way my brain works, I won't be able to think of it as anything other than the Histrionic Iris from now on.