algy Posted November 2, 2008 Share Posted November 2, 2008 I Cant believe what you are saying about it being forbidden to pick bluebells now. When did that happen? I live in OZ & one of my fondest memories is of picking bluebells as a child. So much so that on my last visit to the UK 7 years ago I bought a picture of a wood full of bluebells to remind me of the beautiful sight of a wood full of bluebells. The picture hangs in our bedroom & I often look at it & try & remeber the smell of walking in a wood full of them. Why oh why have people been stopped from picking them? Someone will be telling me next that you cant pick blackberries & bilberries(which make my mouth water just typing the names. Bluebells are protected by law because they are becoming endangered, due I think to areas of woodland being developed for building, and by the introduction of the Spanish bluebell, which cross-pollinates with the British version and is taking over the woodland. It's an offence to pick them or to walk on them as they do not recover well when crushed. As far as I remember from my childhood, if you picked them they didn't last long in water anyway, far better to enjoy them in the wild! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
little malc Posted November 2, 2008 Share Posted November 2, 2008 Yes, I well remember Wolley Woods, same date in time as you ttourtell, we used to live on Papermill road, and it was only a short walk to the woods, which was at the bottom of Concord park. The bluebells were certainly magnificent, and are the same today, my sister and myself, like all kids at the time used to pick them and take them home for mum. Another favourite pastime, was to go further up Ecclesfield road on the right hand ride, and stand on the "basket bridge" over the railway line as a steam train went underneath, the huge blast of steam and smoke was quite frightening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soft ayperth Posted November 2, 2008 Share Posted November 2, 2008 Bluebells are protected by law because they are becoming endangered, due I think to areas of woodland being developed for building, and by the introduction of the Spanish bluebell, which cross-pollinates with the British version and is taking over the woodland. It's an offence to pick them or to walk on them as they do not recover well when crushed. As far as I remember from my childhood, if you picked them they didn't last long in water anyway, far better to enjoy them in the wild! It's disheartening to hear that English bluebells are becoming endangered. My childhood memories are of carpets of bluebells covering the woodland soil. What a wonderful sight. I miss the bluebells so much that I bought some bulbs sold over here as "English bluebells" and planted them in the garden. I think they must be a cultivated variety because the bulbs are bigger and the plants that emerge in late Spring (mid May/ early June here) stouter than the wild version that I remember. I look forward to them every year. Yes, you're absolutely right Algy. They shouldn't be picked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ttourtell Posted November 3, 2008 Author Share Posted November 3, 2008 Yes, I well remember Wolley Woods, same date in time as you ttourtell, we used to live on Papermill road, and it was only a short walk to the woods, which was at the bottom of Concord park. The bluebells were certainly magnificent, and are the same today, my sister and myself, like all kids at the time used to pick them and take them home for mum. Another favourite pastime, was to go further up Ecclesfield road on the right hand ride, and stand on the "basket bridge" over the railway line as a steam train went underneath, the huge blast of steam and smoke was quite frightening. Since you lived on Papermill Road, I'd like tobet we may have been neighbors at one time. It's probably for the best that the bluebells are being saved now, since they will fast disappear to "modernization" of the land. Also I had forgotten all about the basket bridge and steam trains....wow! We used to visit relatives in Leeds and go train spotting and we always lucky enough to see the Flying Scotsman - and yes I was a girl! Now I am an older girl....ha ha. We even used to ride the train from Ecclesfield Station into town on occasion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
little malc Posted November 3, 2008 Share Posted November 3, 2008 I think we will be about the same age ttourtell, I was 7 when we left Papermill Rd, talking of the Flying Scotsman, as we now live in Scarborough we had a journey on the Scotsman two years ago from Scarborough to York, it was fantastic. The old girl is now in bits at the Rail Museum in York being fully renovated. Another memory is of going to the newsagent on Papermill Rd, which was run by a strange character with "popping" eyes, and buying my favourite comics, wonderful names like Beano, Wizard, Hotspur, Adventure, Dandy, Eagle, wow, what memories. I went to Beck Rd school which was the nearest to Papermill Rd, happy memories of same, although the memory is a little distant now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ttourtell Posted November 3, 2008 Author Share Posted November 3, 2008 Hi Little Malc. Glad to hear that the Scotsman is being saved. I never got to ride on her but she was a sight to see flying down the tracks. I remember that newsagent! We would get the Beano and Dandy. Believe it or not my husband (a Yank) read them for years and my Mom would send him the yearbooks for Christmas! I'll bet you remember The Star Walk too! Oh those were the days....life was so simple back then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Olsen Posted November 5, 2008 Share Posted November 5, 2008 OK now I understand why you are not allowed to pick bluebells & if its to protect them I am all for It. Funny how so many english people living overseas talk about their love of them. I have seen the spanish ones & they are not a patch on the wild english ones. Imagine them having to be protected though, I suppose its just another one of those things from way back that we took for granted would always be there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
algy Posted November 5, 2008 Share Posted November 5, 2008 Just a reminder for our ex-pats! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nodens Posted November 5, 2008 Share Posted November 5, 2008 The smell of Bluebells has to be my favourite, on a warm spring evening the fragrance is quite intoxicating. Do you also remember the Ramsons (Allium ursinum) growing in Wooley Wood - near where the stream crossed the main path at the Shiregreen end? They have white flowers and reek of garlic. We used to call them "stinking nannies". They flowered about the same time as the Bluebells. - of course that was around 1960, I haven't been there since! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ttourtell Posted November 5, 2008 Author Share Posted November 5, 2008 The smell of Bluebells has to be my favourite, on a warm spring evening the fragrance is quite intoxicating. Do you also remember the Ramsons (Allium ursinum) growing in Wooley Wood - near where the stream crossed the main path at the Shiregreen end? They have white flowers and reek of garlic. We used to call them "stinking nannies". They flowered about the same time as the Bluebells. - of course that was around 1960, I haven't been there since! Yes, the smell of the bluebells was lovely. And I do remember the stinky flowers. We took some home once for our Mom and she threw away - what did we know? I haven't been back there since I was a child which was many many moons ago....way before 1960! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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