THE BUDS OF MAY

We cherish May as the first true summer month, when we can expect some balmy and unforgettable days, many flowers are in bloom, a time for picnics and barbecues, the start of the cricket season and the climax of the football one - and yet as Shakespeare warned us in his sonnet:

Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,

And summer’s lease hath all too short a date.

Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,

And often is his gold complexion dimmed;

This month can be very changeable – this year a gloriously warm Easter has been followed by an indifferent start to May and we have shivered in our cotton trousers, donned too hastily we fear. So, May has many pleasures but also hidden perils.

The traditional flower of May is the Lily of the Valley, a delicate and sweetly aromatic blossom, which formed the basis of a famous Dior perfume and makes a delightful wedding bouquet. Traditionally it symbolises chastity, happiness and good luck.

Lily of the Valley

               The downside is that this flower is highly toxic to eat – so keep babies, dogs and cats well away – another example of the sinister side of May!

             “May” is used as both a Christian and a surname. Princess May of Teck, of German origin but born and bred in Cambridge, was handsome, intelligent and biddable as a young girl. She was first betrothed to Edward VII’s eldest son Albert Victor, heir to the throne, but he almost immediately died of ‘flu. May easily transferred her affections to the new heir George and they duly married. When George V ascended to the throne in 1910, May became known as Queen Mary and well supported her dull martinet of a husband. Mary became very imperious and formidable.

Formidable Queen Mary

               Her long life ended in 1953, by which time she was the Dowager Queen Mary, grandly ensconced in Marlborough House. She was famously acquisitive, terrorising aristocratic hosts with heavy hints that she coveted their heirlooms and it is rumoured Mayfair antique dealers shuttered their shops, when news spread she was in the area, for fear of losing stock, and money, to her desire for a “kind gift”!

May's famed on-drive

                                              

               Of those whose surname is May, my schoolboy favourite was Peter May, captain of England’s cricket team in the 1950s, a prolific batsman with 13 test centuries and 85 first class centuries to his credit. An amateur, he captained England 66 times, Surrey in its glory, playing a straight bat to life in a different world from ours.

               A newer generation will cherish Jonny May, the English rugby winger and pride of Leicester Tigers. Still in his prime, Jonny is most admired for his speed and finishing skill and he will carry on scoring tries.

Jonnie May scores for England against France

         

               Of course, the elephant in the room in discussing the surname “May” is our Prime Minister, Theresa May. She has none of the skills of those above and we Brexiteers will never forgive her incompetence and double-crossing and prefer not to talk about her. This piece therefore will not carry her likeness!

               I earnestly hope Brexit will happen and my belief in miracles was much fortified by this week’s amazing 4-0 victory by Liverpool over Barcelona after trailing 0-3 from the first leg. A feast awaits us with the Champions’ League Final in Madrid on 1 June!

What a Win!

SMD

8.05.19

Text Copyright © Sidney Donald 2019