It’s an odd time of year the cusp of May to June. If the weather is good (as it has been this year) then its abandon all chores and either away it to the seaside or overdo it in the Green Gym. Taking a few walks down country lanes this week has confirmed to me how beautiful this area is. There is still the last flush of bluebells shimmering in the vivid green grass, and the stellar galaxy of Wild Garlic flowers as they twinkle down along the verges. Strawberry, wild violet, vetch, harebell, stitchworts and hawthorn are scattered along the banks and the bees are going hell for leather. It’s a wonder they can take off with all the pollen in their leg sacs. Balm your soul and go for a wander through some local lanes or cool shady woods, before this vivid greenery turns. Lift your spirits and clamber up the Old Oswestry Hillfort to hear the Larks vaunting the sky with their song.
And yet there is the but. While it is tempting to plant out everything you’ve bought from Country Markets, or last weekend’s Gardening and Farmer’s Market, it pays to err on the side of caution. We may be out of the frosty woods, but still, a dip in temperatures and your French Beans retreat in a sulk and those tomatoes just plain want to be somewhere in the Riviera. And true to good old British Weather, the flip flops and shorts might have to be ditched in favour of socks and jumpers again.
While you enjoy the holiday week, have sympathy for those who are still in the deep, deep abyss of exam revision, and the purgatory their families are in and remember, with a sense of relief that you no longer have to go there.
