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MEADOW SWEET GROVE
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 Reg Varney, "Stan Butler", On the Buses, Source: Wikipedia Common sense seems to be in short supply these days. Or is it only me who feels this way? Actually, I think common sense is making a comeback! We simply can't go on the way we have been unless we go back to "showin' a bit o' common". "Show a bit of common, mate!" is an English expression that is usually expressed in exasperation when someone does something that is just too ridiculous to explain to them and begs that common sense be applied to the situation. One of my favourite TV characters, Stan Butler, used this expression in "On the Buses", a popular British television series in the 1970s. It just got added to my vocabulary! Meadow Sweet Grove © V. Buchanan 2019
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February is when we see the first stirrings of Spring. Throughout the British Isles, in olden days, these first cheerful signs of Spring's return were celebrated by our Celtic ancestors in a holiday called "Imbolc" or "Bride's / St. Brigit's Day". Celebrations varied from community to community but the central theme was the same. Nudged by the observations of "life returning" in the form of small green shoots poking through the sometimes snowy ground, buds forming on trees and the birth of little lambs, the festivals often included bonfires or candles to represent the return of the warmth of the sun, and offerings to the Goddess Brighid, a mother goddess later venerated as Saint Brigit by the arrival of Christianity. It was also traditional to burn any leftover winter greenery, used in the Yuletide celebrations, indicating to me, a fresh start. I rarely say "Off with the old, on with the new" for I love many beautiful legacies from the past, represented in architecture and vintage items; but in this case, throwing off the old refers to things that no longer serve you or have run their course, in a natural cycle that makes way for new life. It is a beautiful time of year and we are experiencing a particularly gorgeous Imbolc. Lots of snowdrops, crocuses, songbirds, small buds ... and even a wee bit of snow glittering in the fantastically warm sunshine. If you have the opportunity, go for a little walk and see what you can see - Happy Imbolc! Meadow Sweet Grove © V. Buchanan 2019 / edited 2020 Bibliography:
Guide to the Fairy Ring, by Anna Franklin, 2002, Llewellyn Publications Entry for "Imbolc", Wikipedia, last edit 2019
~ It will be a lark! ~ On a lark ~ Just for a lark ~ Larking about ~ Go on a lark ~ These are English expressions used to describe something done for a bit of carefree fun; usually on a sudden impulse or whim. It can be silly and gay. It can be mischievous - but never malicious. "Come on, join me in the three-legged race ... it will be a lark!" Marie decided to buy a new hat on a lark. The children turned their desks around backwards, just for a lark, before the teacher came into the room. "Stop larking about and turn those desks back 'round front", she laughed. Sigh, I definitely need to go on a lark right now!! Meadow Sweet Grove © V. Buchanan 2018
 Good ol' Charlie Brown - Charles M. Schulz "Don't step on a crack or you'll break your Mother's back" (old nursery rhyme) "The straw that broke the camel's back" (minor annoyances add up to a breaking point) "Don't break your back" (don't work hard for no result/recognition) Meadow Sweet Grove © V. Buchanan 2018
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