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May Gathering


I was in Stroud in early may and we went for a walk across the tops of the hills. I was nearly out of hawthorn tea from last year so when I saw the may bushes I decided to collect it in my walnut-dyed scarf.

I made Rob take pictures with his mobile.

The may leaves have been dried since then and I have a full jar of leaves again, to last another year.

Apparently the phrase 'Ne'er cast a clout till May is out' doesnt mean 'until the month of May is over' but ' Until the May flowers have blossomed'

May (hawthorn) apparently has had a huge significance in English (and Scottish) folklore in the past. It smells a bit nasty as Rob so eloquently expressed when we started this lark...this and other factors have been woven into the folklore. Read Richard Mabey 'Flora Britannica' for all the lowdown on May.
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