Snowdropping and Anarchy at Hopton Hall

 Hopton Hall

10th February 2020

A carefully made simple plan was in place - meet at the Sheepwash car park at 10.30 am to walk to Hopton Hall. Sunshine had been ordered and surely the plan was foolproof.

Here are the renegades happily drinking coffee whilst those members who can understand simple instructions are pacing up and down the Sheepwash car park trying to find a phone signal and wondering if some disaster had befallen their friends!

Finally four become six and the chief anarchist is looking suitably remorseful 

Nearly an hour later than originally planned - they wouldn’t have got away with such subversive behaviour if a certain Helen J hadn’t been off braving the sandstorms in the Canaries and I am fairly certain that Julia would have read the instructions properly if she hadn’t been off getting covered in glitter and sequins.

Finally the walk begins

A gentle stroll with lots of photo opportunities 

Assuming the pose to get the best shots of the snowdrops and aconites

And the odd fungi

Oh how we wish this was a different Boris!

‘We could be in Italy’ was the comment at this point!

Lynn is admiring the immaculate box hedging

Smiles all round……

…… our personal photographer

…. and the (very amateur) director of operations.

Good to see the ladies are still sporting their mossy hairdos.

No comment!

Today’s quiz - what on earth is this?

Finally something to add to our bird list which up to this point was robin, great tit, mallard, coots, grey duck thing.

…….and the answer is……

Every home should have a slop hopper!

A perfect end to our walk around Hopton, and so pleased that Lynn has added a new verb to the English language, we do enjoy snowdropping. 

And we headed to the Miners Arms for a bowl of soup and a rendezvous with our newest member who had a previous engagement with the hairdresser and on the way Jo and I spotted a red kite to add to our bird list

Some went for the giant sandwich option - not only was it a giant sandwich but it came with chips - go on Lynn you can do it!

And after a very leisurely lunch we headed back to the car park where we should have been at 10.30 am!!

And the bird list from the Canaries is:

Collared dove

Raven

Turnstone

Swallow 

House Martin

Yellow legged gulls

Whimbrel

Little egret

Grey heron

Spanish sparrow 

And this……