When the trail goes cold...

Walking home with my daughter I was surprised to hear her say
"Look over there! Snowdrops!"
I looked and sure enough a white carpet was clearly discernable on the verge on the far side of the road.

The next day I wanted to go to the large M & S in the nearest city, as ours sadly closed eighteen months ago.
I am rather partial to their Cream of Chicken soup and had consumed my stock and was making do with Baxters, which is a poor substitute.
"Let us go via Beoley church, and see if the snowdrops are out there, and then go on to M & S." 
I suggested.

The morning had been sunny and bright, but as the day progressed, so had the cloud cover.
We noted a distict chill as we got out of the car.




Wandering around the graveyard, bulbs were beginning to make an appearance, but only a few buds were visible. The thermometre may indicated that the temperature was seven degrees centigrade, but the wind chill factor was notable.
DH made a rapid retreat to the relative warmth of the car





We continued our way, taking the scenic route, avoiding the narrow, and bumpy Roman road, even though it tempted us by offering a marginally shorter route.
In M & S Food Department DH glumly perused the lists of ingerdients on various food items, before discounting them on the basis that they contained something that would irritate him.
His only purchase was some fish cakes, and we will wait and see if they are amenable to his digestive system.

So engrossed was I in browsing for reduced items, that I nearly forgot the very items we had come for!
I had to limit my purchases,
as the fridge is still full of our post New year Turkey carcass and the freezer is full of previous purchases/produce from the allotment that we have yet to eat...

The Cream of Chicken Soup was located on the bottom shelf near the back of the store.
I picked up the only one visible. It wasn't looking promising...
"Do you have any more Cream of Chicken Soup?" I enquired of a member of staff, who was conveniently replenishing stock right next to where I was.
She immediately dropped to her knees
and after a couple of minutes searching,
hooked out a couple of tins from the very back of the shelf.
At 50p a tin it was cheaper than some of their other soups.
"Does that mean it is about to be deleted?" I enquired sadly.
The assistant could give no assurances.
I fear the worst, as there was only one tin in a different store, when a friend of mine who being aware of my partiality for this particular concoction, tried to replenish my store.
It looks like my days of consuming M & S Cream of Chicken Soup may be nearly over.

As we neared home, we passed the spot where we had first seen the snowdrops.
"Rather odd that they should be out there, and not anywhere else..." I mused...
"Unless of course it was just paper that was shredded when they mowed the grass..."
The KHT gave the verge a thorough inspection from her vantage point in the back of the car.
"You are right!" she announced emphatically, "It isn't snowdrops at all - just shredded paper!"

It looks like spring is still some way off, which is a bit of a relief. 
We really need some winter first to kill off the nasties in the garden.