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May Day

>> Sunday, May 2, 2010

We had a lot of errands to run on Saturday, unfortunately, so not enough time to play outside.  It was a simply gorgeous day for May Day, though.

I always resolve to get up and watch the sunrise to celebrate May Day, but seldom actually drag myself out of bed to do so.  Every May Day reminds me of my year at Oxford University, when it seems nearly everyone in the entire city awakens before dawn (or was still up from all-night May Day balls the night before), makes his or her way down to Magdalen Bridge, and listens to madrigals being sung from the top of Magdalen Tower.  Lots of champagne is consumed.  Then there are Morris Dancers on the High Street, and a general atmosphere of celebration.  It's all very Pagan and lovely and a bit surreal (which I'm sure is at least partially attributable to the champagne).  May Day is one of my favorite memories from Oxford.

While I did not get up to greet the sunrise, nor have time to frolic and appreciate the weather, I did take time to shoot a handful of photos in the yard.  Yesterday the apple tree was in its glory.  Standing under its branches, all I could hear was the buzz of bees.  Today, nearly every petal has fallen.




I found some rare blooming Tucker, and a few tufts of Basset hound, too:





I love this shot of Simon - it reflects his general attitude.


Some lovely purple stuff is blooming in the neighbor's yard.  It looks kind of like dame's rocket, but I'm not certain what it is.


And the ferns are nearly completely unfurled.


The best thing about May Day, though, was that I got hot.  Really.  I was too warm for the first time this year and it was positively delicious.  I so love summer!

2 comments:

Jacqueline Donnelly May 2, 2010 at 7:55 PM  

Love your new header photo of the green fern against brown wood, and those apple blossoms are so beautiful! The critters are pretty cute, too. And yes, I too believe that purple flower is Dame's Rocket. The 4-petaled flower is the give-away.

Ellen Rathbone May 3, 2010 at 11:25 AM  

It's such a pity we don't have similar traditions in this country! Give me some good ol' Morris dancers any day!

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