The blackthorn blossoms are coming out, all along the lane. The buds seem to be frowning on the bough as the winds bang them. They look as furious as smacked kittens, they lower. I went to feed Mrs. H.E's. hens this afternoon... The hens looked much too large for the garden; they seemed to be spreading as one looked at them, like ink-blots.

I'll Stand by You: Selected Letters of Sylvia Townsend Warner and Valentine Ackland (1998)