| "Ne'er cast a clout
'til May is out" - if your parents came from the Midlands
or northern England, you were probably sick of hearing that
as a teenager, dressed in skimpy but fashionable gear in
the middle of winter.
It is one of the hundreds of phrases, fables and bits of
folklore woven around the gnarled branches of the hawthorn
- or May flower, one of our favourite British species.
There is some dispute about the actual meaning of the phrase
but my relatives, who hailed from Lancashire, said it meant
you should not start getting your summer wardrobe out until
the May blossom is in full bloom.
Well, you would be unlikely to take that advice today if
you were walking along the Broadmarsh coastal path near
Portsmouth.
It looks wonderful, a smoky grey sky which smudges along
the horizon, blending with the gentle, pale blue of the
sea. Oystercatchers and little egrets are picking around
the mudflats. But it is definitely on the chilly side.
And yet, all around, clouds of creamy hawthorn blossoms
are in full bloom. For a tree so very associated with May,
it seems unusual.
Indeed, traditionally, the arrival of May blossom was a
sign of impending summer. The flowers were used to decorate
people's homes, a practice known as "bringing home
the May", and it was the flower of choice with which
to garland the May Queen. |
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