Hawthorn Tree

I conducted my first research interview today which was both exciting and nerve-wracking. It went well (just a few things to reflect upon and tweak) and I'm really happy to have my first data and grateful for my first participant :)

The hawthorns or Maytrees have already started to blossom. These thorn bushes fascinate me with their many contradictions... their beautiful blossoms and sharp thorns (which according to legend were used for Christ's crown of thorns), their many medicinal properties including their ability heal the heart and also their chemical association with death and decay and both their male and female reproductive parts. They give so generously too to insects, bees, birds and mammals.