Tags
It’s here, my hardy little visitor from the future.
The first crocus to appear in our yard was brilliant gold. Photo by the Long-Suffering Husband.
The crocus makes me think of past and future Easter eggs, nestling in the grass.
In the deep past, the ladies of Minoan Crete collected the precious stigma of the saffron crocus for its brilliant red-orange color and aromatic properties.
The saffron crocus. It has extremely long stigmata, as in the Minoan painting below. Photo from Wikimedia (Victor M. Vicente Selvas)
Fresco from Akrotiri on the Aegean island of Santorini. Ca. 1500 BCE.
More on the saffron crocus here, including Alexander the Great in Kashmir…
Linnet Moss 
ahhh, now that is a welcome messenger of spring 🙂 lovely!
and did you know they grow the safron crocus in Wales? just random information 🙂 i’m afraid i am a dedicated geek of BBC documentaries LOL
i’m getting back properly to the Jane Eyre article tomorrow when more time
I did not know about Wales! How lovely. I want to visit there–I have some Welsh ancestors 🙂 They were called Lewis, which seems to be one of the most common names there.
oh, you have to see the Brecon Beacons! definitely worth a visit 🙂
The photos look amazing–good hiking!
Yes, nice in the summer, it would have to be summer because otherwise the amount of rain can be overwhelming. Not that it doesn’t rain in summer, but you have some chance of sunshine … some 😉
I must have it in my blood because I like overcast weather best. Not constant rain, mind you…
Lovely. I love croci (pl?). And it really is about time we left winter. Daffodils have been out for a while on my (outside) windowsill, but imagine my horror this morning! Snow! Poor things. I can’t wait for spring!
Crocuses or croci – you piqued my curiosity with that one so I had to check! 🙂 Spring, spring, spring – I am so happy 🙂
Well, I always say crocuses, but if one wants to be terribly correct, it would have to be croci, I suppose, from Greek krokoi, plural of krokos.
🙂
LOL! “Expresso” is my favorite!
Ah. I don’t know why Eliot said April was the cruelest month. It is definitely March.
Also, Linnet – http://mashable.com/2016/03/03/chocolate-cumberbunny-benedict-cumberbatch/?utm_cid=a-vt-rr#hJbsax1tr5q5
You’re welcome 😉
Oh gods! They are *hideous*!! I would like to taste Benedict, but not that way. They’re kind of scary, actually.
Ha ha! Seemingly his bum is quite tasty 🙂 But you know I’m not a fan so I could eat him without a second thought!
He looks like the Easter Island Bunny.
Is that good? 😉
This will haunt me for the rest of the day. If not forever.
*Chortle* 🙂
ffs! i didn’t not need to see that… are they trying to ruin my favourite food group???? it’s not his fault people use and abuse him but really can he stop invading food too? 😉
LOL. Pretty soon we will have genetically enhanced “cucumberbatches.” I shudder to think how those will be marketed!!
Yes, it looks like Easter 🙂
We are back to snow now, but I am hoping for more spring flowers soon.
Glad that spring is on the cusp. Such a pretty colour.
Yes, that gold really catches the eye! Like a buttercup.
I tried growing saffron. That didn’t work out. But then again, I’m known to kill mint.
LOL. Now THAT is an achievement.