BlipBears Little Adventure......

............BlipBear decided he wanted to do a bit of climbing - as I have no stairs, he chose to climb up the wooden arch in the garden and have a closer look at the Solanum which is now in full flower*.

Kiwi stood by and watched very carefully but after due consideration, thought he wouldn't try - although he has wings he cannot fly!

He and Kiwi are going back to stay with Anni for a while on Friday. I think they have enjoyed themselves staying with me for a bit although BlipBear did confide in me that they were both a bit fed up with being photographed all the while. I could well understand. which is why you haven't seen much of them in recent days.

*(Solanum crispum Glasnevin, which has lilac/blue flowers in masses during summer and right through till late autumn and is semi-evergreen and soon covers an archway.)

It is Mayday but it won't be celebrated until Monday in the main - but my BOUI do concern the 1st of May:-

1) Dancing round the Maypole - May Day to the ancients was called CALAN MAI. This tradition was to ensure fertility in men, women, animals and crops. It was sacred to the Barbs and Druids who worshipped the oak and to them it was called BELTAINE. And for this reason, people danced around a Yew or Oak tree or a wooden pole.

2) The anthropologist Mircea Eliade theorizes that the maypoles were simply a part of the general rejoicing at the return of summer, and the growth of new vegetation. In this way, they bore similarities with the May Day garlands which were also a common festival practice in Britain and Ireland.

3) Various authorities have tried to ban or undermine May Day, particularly the communist observances during the Cold War. In 1955, Pope Pius XII designated May 1 as a feast day of St. Joseph the Worker. In 1958, President Eisenhower designated May 1 as both Law Day and Loyalty Day. Each of these were specifically aimed at replacing the communist holiday with a religious or patriotic one.

4) May Day was also a time for morris dancing and other dances, often around the maypole. In the 19th century, people began to braid the maypole with ribbons by weaving in and out in the course of a dance. Other later traditions include making garlands for children and the crowning of the May Queen.

Not a very sunny morning but quite bright - Temperature is 51 Deg.F at the moment - a little rain earlier.

Have a lovely day.

This time last year Anni and I visited the Moody Gardens at Galveston,Texas where we met Ali the Gator - a truly fearsome beast! A fabulous day all round!
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