Unresting Castles in May

The Trees 

The trees are coming into leaf 

Like something almost being said; 

The recent buds relax and spread, 

Their greenness is a kind of grief. 

Is it that they are born again 

And we grow old? No, they die too. 

Their yearly trick of looking new 

Is written down in rings of grain. 

Yet still the unresting castles thresh 

In fullgrown thickness every May. 

Last year is dead, they seem to say, 

Begin afresh, afresh, afresh. 

Philip Larkin 

Last month (May 2020) trickled in, cool and grey, and gushed out in glorious sunshine. Perhaps that is what has helped to make the last few weeks of lockdown bearable. I picked one of our poetry anthologies (The Ring of Words edited by Roger McGough, 1998, Faber & Faber) off the bookshelves and selected poems that I considered to be positive, soothing or uplifting. The poem above was surprisingly optimistic for Philip Larkin. 

So many people are writing either professionally or as amateurs about the current public health, economic and social crisis and are expressing their views much more effectively than I could so I won't add to the discourse. I do, of course, enjoy the spouse's blog, which is usually poignant. 

On the food front 

I've trying out recipes from old books and repeating a couple of favourites. Taking the lazy woman's way out, I'm using photos rather than writing descriptions. 

My favourite: the coffee cake; the spouse's - scones; and the younger offspring's - rocky road muffins. 

Until next time. 

Minnie 

Rhubarb punch (Doreen Fulleylove's Country Fare)

Sally's chocolate buns (Bronte Aurell's Fika & Hygge)

Fiona Cairns' coffee, walnut and cardamom cake

Fruit scones (National Trust Book of Scones)

Salad nicoise (Marks & Spencer All-Colour Cookery)

French custard flan (Irish Times, 23 May 2020)

Rocky road muffins (Gill MacLennan's Chocolate)

Carrot & almond salad (Rose Elliot's Not Just a Load of Old Lentils)