A Murder of Crows
Benedict's Murder of Crows...Benedict points out the sudden onslaught of Spring:
I'm often suprised to see a murder of crows on the clock tower, usually in the autumn, but the unseasonaly early spring weather has instigated an unprecidented conflagration. Any ideas?
The Phantom replies:
That is one enigmatically highbrow epistle, Benedict. Did you actually mean to write to The Times? The Phantom is currently donning tweeds and a deerstalker to pen a worthy reply ;-)
Indeed Spring is portentiously early this year, perhaps, one might suppose, to render some recompense for the failure last year, of Primavera to peer in April's front at all...
...Phew - I can't keep that up for much longer. By the way, I love the collective noun. Did you know that, according to Wikipedia (which is never wrong, of course) you could also have used cauldron, caucus, congress, cowardice, hover, murder, muster, parcel, or storytelling when referring to crows?
But back to Spring. I did notice the daffs were fully in bloom in the National Maritime Museum yesterday, and that a pair of blackbirds are getting it together behind my gaff, warm spring days replacing the need for flowers, chocolates and Barry White Albums.
Any more springlike indcations folks? Sightings of yellowhammers or recordings of the first cuckoo should be addressed to The Editor...
Labels: Events, Green Greenwich
posted by The Greenwich Phantom at
14:21
9 Comments:
The hawthorn is traditionally the most accurate indication of the start of Spring. The warning to retain one's winter clothing until warm weather has arrived for good – "n'er cast a clout 'til may is out" – refers not to the end of the month of May, but the emergence of the hawthorn ('may') flowers - hence its nickname, "May Blossom".
Kew Gardens have reported that their hawthorns have started flowing already - 12 weeks earlier than 'normal' (although only a week or two earlier than last year apparently).
This apostle's epistle will be much more low brow in reply, although I do like the sound of a caucus of crows
An old man I knew who came from Ipswich used to say
"If the crows nest high......
the summer be dry ." and the last time I noticed high crows nests was the scorching summer of 2003!
By way of early spring signs, I found a sleepy toad under an old flower pot at the back of my garden. Surely there must be an old folk saying about that?
Ah yes, 'tis the season of the first letter to The Guardian asking 'is that the first cuckoo of spring? So soon?!'
But a 'murder of crows' and indeed atop our own clock tower, our own denied eerie ... that is a novelty!!
Does anyone actually like crows?!
Blackeathen
"Surely there must be an old folk saying about that? "
"Disturb ye not
Yon slim-rid tode
That sleepst afore the Lenten's end
Frost then hot
The ides ill bode
At March's door ye doth offend."
How about....
If a toad wakes in Feb,
The winter be dead!
Or another sure sign of spring as I witnessed last weekend at the market are young men wearing singlets and young ladies in short skirts with no stockings, good lord , heavens above, not in my day, she'll catch her death.
I don't think the amount of clothing young people in South East London don't wear can really be taken as an accurate indication of weather conditions. I've seen young blokes in shirts and girlies in miniskirts and boob tubes in blizzard conditions. I think it has something to do with the hormones...
How about the foxes mating outside my front door at 3am this morning? I know it's valentine's day and spring has arrived, but I was NOT impressed!
Looks like I may have been a bit premature with the early spring thing, I am knitting a vest for my toad as we speak.
A toad in a cardi. What an image...
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