SWEET LITTLE APRIL SHOWERS

APRIL SHOWERS
and all things Easterly 

Scottish rain by Tom Bryan

Gets in yer neb, lugs,

unner thi oxters tae.

Oan yer heid, in yer een

til ye’re drookit, ken?

An it’s aye cauld

an gaes sidie-ways.

Whit, warm rain?

Nae here (mebbe in Spain).

Woke up this mornin,

crawled oot o bed,

keeked oot thi windae pane

Aw naw! Rainin again!

Spring, with its showers and flowers, bonnets and sonnets was the theme for our ORLANG April meeting.  Maureen started the proceedings with some watercolour work based on puddle patterns.

The group had a choice of  water soluble pencils, large and small brushes, oil pastels and water colours in blues, greens and yellow.  We looked at the natural lines the arm follows to create the elliptical lines of the water patterns and recreated them on handmade watercolour paper. 

From the same brief we had so many different results.  It appears that the personalities of the group really shone through in this exercise. 

Harold thought that all the work "was expressed differently".

The participants found the activity relaxing and were delighted  with the results. Ginny exclaimed "I love this one! It would be nice in a frame" ..... so we went to the framers!

"Its as if you can jump into it"

But Spring isn't all about rain and Christine lead the second part of the session with her basket full of goodies,  Hats, herbs, daffodils and crocuses.  

It was only the ladies in the group that volunteered to try on the bonnets! But Chris started of the discussions with some spring quotes.

"March winds and April showers bring forth May flowers"  

Ginny read us the poem 

March said to April,

I see three hogs upon the hill,

and if you lend me days three

I'll find a way to mak them dee

The first o them wus wind and weet

the second wus snaw and sleet.

The third o them was sic a freeze, 

it froze the birds nebs to the trees

When the three days were past and gane

the three silly hogs went hurplin hame.

We discussed the memories of day trips and spring holidays now the weather was turning and Christine got the group to sing The day we went to Rothsay O

New to the group, Wullie was keen to read a poem by Lady Scott 

The Comin' o' the Spring

There’s no a muir in my ain land but’s fu’ o’ sang the day,

Wi’ the whaup, and the gowden plover, and the lintie upon the brae.

The birk in the glen is springin’, the rowan-tree in the shaw,

And every burn is rinnin’ wild wi’ the meltin’ o’ the snaw.

The wee white cluds in the blue lift are hurryin’ light and free,

Their shadows fleein’ on the hills, where I, too, fain wad be;

The wind frae the west is blawin’, and wi’ it seems to bear

The scent o’ the thyme and gowan thro’ a’ the caller air.

The herd doon the hillside’s linkin’. O licht his heart may be

Whose step is on the heather, his glance ower muir and lea!

On the Moss are the wild ducks gatherin’, whar the pules like diamonds lie,

And far up soar the wild geese, wi’ weird, unyirdly cry.

In mony a neuk the primrose lies hid frae stranger een,

An’ the broom on the knowes is wavin’ wi’ its cludin o’ gowd and green;

Ower the first green sprigs o’ heather, the muir-fowl faulds his wing,

And there’s nought but joy in my ain land at the comin’ o’ the Spring!

Still wearing her hat from Chrisine's archive basket, Betsy enthusiastically led the group in singing Easter Bonnet. 

The group talked about Easter and what it meant to them as children.  Chocolate Easter eggs were never a part of the Spring tradition for most of the group as chocolate was still rationed until 1954, but many remembered dying boiled eggs in beetroot and tea and heading off as a family to roll them.  Kirrie Den, Den O'Mains were both places that people identified as egg rolling destinations. 

Christine gave us a fabulous rendition of Scarborough Fair and compared it to the traditional Scottish agricultural fairs where labourers attended to look for new work, the feeing time. These were usually connected to religious holidays, and in many ways signified the start of a new beginning.  Not reading too much into this, it does quite cleverly draw parallels to the themes explored in our Springtime meeting!