Last year I posted several excerpts from Edith Holden’s The Nature Notes of an Edwardian Lady. I recently found a copy of The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady and thought it would be fun to share that as well. Here are a few snippets from her April entries.
April 1: Very still, grey day. I went to a little spinney to see a large bush of the Great Round-leaved Willow, which is a perfect picture just now, covered all over with great golden catkins, that light up the copse like hundreds of little fairy lamps.
April 7: Another glorious day. Cycled to Knowle. On the way found some Marsh Marigolds and Blackthorn in blossom. The Tadpoles have come out of the balls of jelly and career madly about the aquarium wagging their little black tails.
April 12: Painted the pony and colt all morning in the field. Very hot sun and cool breeze. Saw a beautiful Peacock butterfly and found some Purple Orchis in flower.
April 15: Easter Sunday. Anther brilliant day. Saw a pair of House Martins, watched some Trout in the Leet and found a Chaffinch’s nest nearly finished in a young Hawthorn.
April 28: Showers of hail and sleet.
She also includes this little poem.
by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
The young lambs are bleating n the meadows,
The you ng birds are chirping in the nest,
They young fawns are playing with the shadows,
The young flowers are blowing toward the west—
Go out, children, from the mine and from the city;
Sing out, children, as the little thrushes do;
Pluck your handfuls of meadow-cowslips pretty,
Laugh aloud to feel your fingers let them through!
A lovely reminder to our inner child to take a few moments from what we’re doing and appreciate nature.
Maybe even go tadpoling! I remember being so intrigued by them as a child—first poking globs of frogs’ eggs with a stick, coming back to scoop tadpoles into a jar and watch them swim, and then later catching them when they were tiny frogs that still had their tails.
What’s your favorite part of spring?
Happy April Fools Day!
Until next time,
Lee
