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Posted by Murrisk on March 24, 2002 at 13:06:03:
Palm Sunday and its long gospel always the start of Holy Week. Finally, an end to not smoking, not drinking, not eating sweeets etc was in sight although you could always indulge on Sundays in Lent. The Easter Week cermonies still lay ahead with a lot of church time. And after Easter Sunday, Easter Monday would be remembered. March came in like a lamb and went out like a lion they said. The crows start nesting on February 1 according to folklore. They were certainly nesting by Easter and jackdaws were looking for accessible chimneys. Some flowers were already in bloom like the daffodils and snowdrops might be found in the woods. Ploughing might be underway if the spring was dry but flooded fields were also a common sight. The annual mating ritual was well underway or beginning depending on the species. The sparrows were raucous as the built or refurbished nests under the eave runs. Wood pidgeons coo´d to each other as they prepared to buid nests in the firs. Chaffinches also liked the firs but they would not start until later in April. The green finches seemed to prefer the whitethorn. Robins and wrens would nest in the thickets along with rare goldfinchs and bullfinchs....but not just yet. Gold crested and fire crested wrens were far more secretive in nesting. Magpies liked to build their enclosed nests in the wood. Frog spawn would soon be in the streams and bog holes. Stickle backs (´pinkeens´) would soon be sport for small boys. Cattle were spending most of their time outdoors unless the weather was too hard. Little chickens would be bought from the Factory around this time, travelling to their new homes on the back of a bicycle. Chocolate eggs would be enjoyed on Easter Sunday when all family members tried to be home. No Easter bunnies. The end of winter and the start of spring. The beauty of the country side in April and May lay just ahead.
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