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A Victoria Sandwich Makes for a Merry May

5/31/2020

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May was never supposed to be a month of isolation for those who celebrate May Day or Beltane... or just love the official beginning of summer.  It's the Merry, Merry, Month of May! Accompanying that should be all kinds of outdoor May revels like a procession or parade, Morris dancing or weaving ribbons while dancing around the maypole and crowning a Queen of the May. It's time for "strolling through the park one day" and perhaps having your heart stolen away by a pair of roguish eyes. We certainly weren't meant to be sitting inside missing all the lovely May flowers that were brought to us by April showers!

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But as the saying goes "When God closes a door, he opens a window". There is always a way to work the magic of May into your year - no matter what befalls it.  So take that COVID! 

More people are baking and cooking at home during this time, so here's a delightful recipe for that perfect May treat - the Victoria Sandwich.  A variation on the traditional Sponge Cake, the Victoria Sandwich is named for Queen Victoria and we have the Victorians to thank for the addition of butter to the recipe. This formed a more solid, flatter sponge that allowed for the construction of a "built cake", which appealed to their engineering mentality.  This recipe (wording altered) is from the "The Victorian Kitchen" series of books - "The Book of Cakes and Cookies". Enjoy!

What you need:
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 cup flour
pinch of salt
grated rind of 1 lemon
jam
icing sugar
May flowers

What you do:
Cream softened butter and sugar together.  Beat eggs into mixture, one at a time until well blended. Sift flour and salt together in a separate bowl. Fold into mixture, together with grated lemon rind until well mixed.

Spoon into two greased baking tins and bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees until center of sponge is firm to the touch. Remove and cool on wire racks.  Place jam on one sponge, layer and cover with sifted icing sugar.  May flowers are entirely optional!

Note: Flowers are meant for decoration only - do not consume.
Bibliography:
The Victorian Kitchen Book of Cakes and Cookies, The Bridgewater Book Company Ltd., CLB Publishing, Godalming, Surrey 1995  
      

                                                                                                                                                Meadow Sweet Grove © V. Buchanan 2020
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What fools these mortals be!

5/30/2019

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It is the last day of the merry, merry month of May and the little fairies in the Grove are busy packing up the maypole and ribbons and storing them away for another year.  One day this May, a few callous humans happened to spot the fairies at their dance. They informed the fairies that their dance, although old, was now symbolic of conquest and power and an evil group of people. To this the fairies stared at each other in astonishment (although with a certain amount of sage recognition as well) ... and then burst into laughter at the ignorance of the humans' comments.  They merrily continued their communal dance around the sacred maypole chanting (in the immortal words of their kin Robin Goodfellow) -  "What fools these mortals be!"

Fairy Dance
Fairy Dance, Artist Unknown

Fairies are immortal.  And eternally young. They do what they do and disregard the foolish folly of mortals. They have danced since the beginning of time and have seen holidays come and go, wax and wane. They have seen maypoles torn down and burned in small villages; only to be joyously erected in others. They have seen May Day processions outlawed, only to cover their faces in masks and hold their festivities at night.  And they celebrate in private, in their sacred groves and await the time when their dancing will once again herald the joyous beginning of summer.  It would seem that "so it has been and so it will always be".  Long live May Day!
May Pole Dance Cartoon
Image: Pinterest, Artist Unknown
Meadow Sweet Grove © V. Buchanan 2019
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Attracting Garden Fairies

5/14/2018

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May is such a magical month that the appearance of fairies in your garden should come as no surprise!  Even the staunchest disbeliever must do a double take when ... apple, pear or cherry blossoms float and swirl though the air, fresh new leaves rustle in the wind or the sun shimmers and gleams in nooks and crannies in the garden.  All these subtle happenings can be evidence of fairy activity ...

Here are 3 simple ways to attract fairies to your garden:
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1.  Foliage
This is a biggie because fairies are like songbirds.  They love trees as this gives them little branches to cling to, or big branches for swinging and leaves to hide behind.  Not to mention that their older cousins, the Dryads, will often tell them stories at night about ancient times and places.  Plant lots of perennial flowers that will magically sprout up in the Spring, year after year, without any extra work on your part - bluebells, tulips, daffodils, forget-me-nots, Jack Frost, Lily-of-the-Valley, foxgloves - your garden will be alive with colour and sweet scents that attract the birds, bees, butterflies ... and fairies!

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2.  Music
With all the greenery you have added to your garden, hopefully the birds will be providing you with their many varied chirps, trills and calls.  But to add a little bit more magic, definitely include a wind chime ... or two or three!  The calming melodies, resulting from the slightest breeze, will manage to slow down the pace in your space and literally "make the world go away".  This is important as fairies belong to another dimension, where time plays out differently to our own.  The music from birds, wind chimes, flutes or even gentle songs on the radio or other device will alert the fairies that your garden belongs to people that understand and welcome them.
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Wind chimes can be made out of so many different items. This one is made from old bike gears!
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3.  Trinkets
Fairies appreciate offerings from the human world.  The food they most often prefer is bread, honey and milk.  But in the Spring and Summer, so much more can be offered.  Leave out some pretty polished stones or gems, light tealights or candles and place glass marbles, orbs and prisms in various parts of your garden.  Tuck cunning little statues of their kin folk everywhere you can - this lets the wee folk know that you are a kindred spirit who believes in fairies and will take care of your garden in a fashion that does not disturb or control nature too rigidly.

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And for some fun, blow some bubbles from a bubble wand!  There is something magical about bubbles floating gently on the breeze ... and the fairies will be sure to notice.

Accept the magical world around you and welcome it into your garden.  It doesn't matter how big or small it is.  Whether you are charmed with a "back 40", a fantastically witch-y cottage garden, a "postage stamp" city plot or even an apartment balcony; you can always add in a little bit of nature - usually more than you think once you get started!  Prepare to be amazed at how special life becomes when your home becomes a safe haven for fairies to congregate and play.

Meadow Sweet Grove © V. Buchanan 2018 / edited 2020
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It's Almost May, Hurray!  Summer's on the Way!

4/27/2018

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The beginning of May marks the beginning of Summer in old English tradition.  The year was divided into two halves -- with Summer beginning on May 1st and Winter beginning on October 31st.  Of course, the weather doesn't always conform to these dates! 



This year, however, the Grove has seen a lovely hot week of sunshine - after the usual amount of copious April showers of rain and hail.  Hopefully, it will continue for a wonderful and warm May Day on May 1st.


The garden is certainly responding to the heat and all sorts of plants are bursting forth with leaves and blossoms.  Here are just a few that my camera caught today!

Grape Hyacinth
Jack Frost & Bluebells
Apple Blossoms
Leopard's Bane

Meadow Sweet Grove © V. Buchanan 
2018
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Finding Fairies

5/17/2017

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Meadow Sweet Grove has experienced a record downfall of rain this Spring.  Most of the fairies are probably sitting by their little stoves and looking out longingly at their gardens. When they do go out, I imagine they dart for cover, hiding under handy toadstools along the way.  Still, May is the perfect month to search for fairies that might be starting to play in the garden after those long winter months.
Tulip Fairy by Cicely Mary Barker
I took my favourite "fairy spotter" with me and she pointed out many fairies and woodland creatures in the Grove.  I had to be quick with the camera ...
Image:  Cicely Mary Barker
An absolute abundance of froggies!  Well, it has​ been raining an awful lot ...
​And even Robin Goodfellow, or Puck - as some know him - was found amongst the new growth and greenery, where he is always the happiest ...
Finally, a gnome atop his new wishing well home (dry as a bone) and a fairy, trapped under ice all winter, has been returned to the Grove.
​Meadow Sweet Grove © V. Buchanan 2017 ​​​​​​​/ edited 2021
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For the Spring is Flying and the Month is May

5/8/2017

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​For the spring is flying and the month is May. 
 Mary N. Prescott

​That's the last line penned in a poem by Mary N. Prescott (reproduced below) from "Rhymes from Mother Goose";  an absolutely enchanting children's book printed in 1903 by the W.B. Conkey Company, with the promise: "arranged to please the boys and girls" and "with pictures that will amuse the children".
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Antique child's book, "Rhymes from Mother Goose", 1903, Meadow Sweet Grove Collection
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Sweet fragrant apple blossoms

​April showers did indeed bring May flowers to the Grove.  Not quite as stunning as last year's spring but as promised by Margaret Elizabeth Sangster, "Never yet was a springtime, when the buds forgot to bloom."
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Meadow Sweet Grove © V. Buchanan 
2017 / edited 2021
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Disclaimer: Many of the items sold are vintage or pre-loved. Quality of vintage items vary with the manufacturing methods available at the time of production. They are not made to current standards of manufacturing ... and in my opinion, that is usually a good thing! They tend to be higher quality, last longer and include more attention to detail than today's products. However, safety standards do change over time, items do deteriorate with age, and it is up to the customer to decide how they will use each product.
All rights reserved. No part of this website, including but not limited to written articles, photographs, graphics, videos or animations, may be reproduced, in any form, written or digital, without the express and prior written permission of the author: V. Buchanan of Meadow Sweet Grove. Requests for said permission may be directed to: [email protected]. (GIFs graciously provided by: animatedimages.org & R. Buchanan)
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