In the Woods

With every blossom`s opening, Spring is celebrated

Spring has sprung! And though I type this with rain lashing ceaselessly against the window from a smudged pencil rubber of a sky, the happy signs of the season change are here.

The cherry blossom cracked its neat buds on the Row this week to peek out from its unzipped jackets. It will only be a matter of time before we are singing under those white, swaying boughs…

Daffodils abound, the birds are in fine voice, and new lambs are prancing in the field next to the Squirrel Run where the grass, thick and green and lush, cushions the horizon.

And Easter is imminent…a time of revival, renewal, and joyfully misjudging how much chocolate is a bit too much.

Easter egg hunts originated in medieval times, when abstinence from animal products during Lent necessitated boiling any fresh eggs to keep them edible. At the end of the Lent period the men of the village would hide the eggs for the women to find.

As fun as I’m sure that was, I must admit I am thankful that over time this has evolved into hiding chocolate eggs instead, as I suspect a 40 day old boiled egg wouldn’t incite the same appreciation in these modern times…or perhaps it would?

The Secret Garden children have been demonstrating their superior sleuthing skills this week in a series of egg-hunts around the various sites in the woods. It has been clear to see that no Easter egg can escape the attentions of a group of children so thoroughly versed in Hide and Seek.

Scotland is also a devout follower of the pace-eggin’ tradition, in which eggs are hard-boiled and beautifully decorated prior to being sent careering down a suitable hill.  There is some argument about where this practice originated, so if you are taking part in the pace-eggin’ but also the argument, beware of this reaching the point where you are distracted to the point of missing where your egg ends up!

For those of you venturing out and about this weekend here are some festive events happening nearby:

https://www.nts.org.uk/stories/easter

Finally, some news that isn’t so sweet. You may have heard some whispers about the dubious ethical practices of certain chocolate companies. For information on some kinder choices, here are some sites that could be useful:

https://www.slavefreechocolate.org/ethical-chocolate-companies

https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/food-drink/shopping-guide/easter-eggs

Wishing you all a very happy Easter weekend, and if you are enjoying outdoor spaces, watch out for errant eggs underfoot!

Written by Mazz Brown.