Holton House: March - coming in like a lion or a lamb?

March 1, 2016 - will it be a lion or a lamb? March is such an inconsistent, unreliable month. Will it be cold, blustery, stormy, billowing snow flakes? Or will it be whispering winds tainted with warmth and hope and promise, bringing the sight of little crocus bulbs peeping above the earth? Will it be frigid one day and balmy the next? When we wake up, we wonder, what will the day's weather hold for us?

Well, today is March first. There is that old saying about coming in like a lion and gamboling out like a lamb. Today is in the 40's and pelting spits and spurts of rain. Gray, cloudy, damp. We fear it will be warm in a few days and bring out buds and blossoms, only to be encapsulated in frozen ice later in the month, dashing dreams of a pink and flowering spring. Only time will tell.

I am going to share some photos of pages from a lovely book that I found on the garden shelf at Half Price Books. It is written and illustrated by Edith Holden, who made the first entry in her journal on January 1, 1906. The book is written in her own hand and includes poems, personal thoughts and observations on the wildlife around her home in Olton, Warwickshire, England. She has included beautiful paintings on each page which reflect her love of nature. In short, it's a treasure of a book. If you wish to find one somewhere, it is called The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady, and was published by Holt, Winehart and Winston.

Edith was born in 1871, one of seven children. She attended art school and worked as an illustrator. Later she moved to London, married Ernest Smith, a sculptor; they never had children. Sadly, Edith drowned in the Thames River on March 16, 1920, while she was gathering buds from chestnut trees. This fact saddens me greatly. Below are some of the pages from her March entries.

This is the view that greeted Wally and me just before lunch.

We stared out at the droplets sliding down the window!

Well, this is the month for several family members' birthdays and a wedding anniversary for one of my sisters and her husband. And of course, Good Friday and Easter this month too! Last night, the sewing/crafting/quilting ladies celebrated the birthday of our Little Miss Witty, the youngest member of our group, our special youngster! Here is a photo of the table being set and prepared for our dinner. Casserole was in the oven, salad awaiting its last toss, tea was brewing. We had a good time.