The days and nights are getting warmer. The sun is staying up later in the evening. There is a greenish hue to the branches of the deciduous trees. The birds are busy building nests or caring for freshly hatched chicks. (We have two pairs of robins who have chosen to build nests on the sides of our house!!). The forest is full of sweet scents. It is getting easier to be outside as we shed layers of clothing. Oh - the merry month of May! We welcome you!
May Day, Beltane or Fairy Day - the first of May has always been one of my favourite days of the year! My wonderful neighbour introduced me to the idea of Fairy Day when I was a child. On the 30th of April, every year, my sister, my cousins and I would carefully create a fairy house at the base of my neighbour’s honeysuckle tree. We would craft tables and seats, beds, and a fireplace out of rocks, bark, and bits of wood. Sometimes we would be allowed to take a bit of flour and some spices from our family’s kitchen to make miniature ‘breads’ and ‘soup’ to leave as an offering for the fairies. When we woke up on May Day we would find that the honeysuckle tree had most certainly been visited by fairies!
“The clearest way into the universe is through a forest wilderness.”
~ John Muir
