Oh, to be in England
Now that April’s there,
And whoever wakes in England
Sees, some morning, unaware,
That the lowest boughs and the brushwood sheaf
Round the elm-tree bole are in tiny leaf,
While the chaffinch sings on the orchard bough
In England—now!

And after April, when May follows,
And the whitethroat builds, and all the swallows!
Hark, where my blossomed pear-tree in the hedge
Leans to the field and scatters on the clover
Blossoms and dewdrops—at the bent spray’s edge—
That’s the wise thrush; he sings each song twice over,
Lest you should think he never could recapture
The first fine careless rapture!
And though the fields look rough with hoary dew,
All will be gay when noontide wakes anew
The buttercups, the little children’s dower
—Far brighter than this gaudy melon-flower!

– Robert Browning

Yes, I did tip my toe into the virtual world. Now I’m going paddling.

This evening is one of those times when I want Tom Jones around, singing ‘Frost is in the air/ Everywhere I look around/ Frost is in the air/ Every sight and every sound’ if you get my drift. Wonderful stuff, Autumn. And to think, 30 odd years ago, and a few degrees further North, this used to happen in September/ October.

Listened today to a song of Dylan’s I hadn’t heard before – ‘Tell Ol’ Bill’. Country + Western music meets lyrics like – ‘the heavens have never seemed so weird’. It works, strangely enough. No, Dylan doesn’t have Tom Jones’ voice, but what the heck. He’s funnier.

Have you worked out what the picture is of yet? Mushrooms, on an Anglo Saxon roof, somewhere in the East of England. Spotted first by keen eyed Evelyn. We didn’t try them.

Au’voir, as only the Normans could say.

Mary joins Ruby White blog.


Living in Dorset, England, Mary brings a new sensibility to Ruby White, with interests in modern childrens’ authors, psychology, and Kate Bush’s new album!


Mary can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it