£6.99
FOLK
Maypole cake and buttercup meadow picnics. The magic of nightingales. Spring greens pizza & heart-on–your–sleeve sewing. Sheds of character. Garden like the Bloomsbury Set. What to do with handkerchiefs. Taking a coddiwomple & the peace of fishing. Square-metre safari. How to stop saying sorry.
This month is one that revels in customs, eccentricity and mavericks – just think of dancing around the Maypole for starters. May Day also has its roots in the tradition of protest and standing up for what you believe in. Behind these celebrations are passionate people; the old expression ‘there’s nowt so queer as folk’ has been reclaimed, now it recognises the diversity and creativity that abounds when we’re given the freedom to be. From the sheddies who get imaginative with the idea of a simple hut, to the dancers fusing folk and street, a fisherwoman challenging convention and the Bloomsbury Set finding expression, inspiration and solace in their gardens, we’re meeting folk who do things differently. While we may not count ourselves among these pioneers, we all have our passions, be it collecting treasures, a fondness for wearing ribbons and bows or baking a Whitsun cake.Let longer, lighter days and the magic of birdsong fuel our own May rituals. So, read poems about blossom, wear your heart–on–your–sleeve and go on a pilgrimage of your own making. May should always be a month to remember.
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