First of the Year

January 17th might seem early for signs of life, but Kilmacurragh never disappoints. Wandering the grounds today, I kept my eyes peeled for something interesting and it didn’t take much effort. That tell-tale splash of white against the dark soil was easy to spot. The first snowdrops of 2026 were waiting for me. It’s always a thrill to find them here first; the acidic soil in this part of Wicklow seems to wake them up a fraction earlier than elsewhere. I love how they look in this light—fragile but incredibly resilient. To get the shot, I had to ignore the damp ground and get right down to their level, letting the Pixel’s lens find the details in the petals that you’d miss from standing height.