‘Harbinger’ is the word used to describe the sign-bearers that tell us spring is imminent. I had to look it up on Wiki for it is an uncommon word and I have used it with no idea what its derivation might be. Webster says it dates from early Middle Ages (1125-1175) and means a herald, ‘one that goes before’. ‘Harbinger of Spring’ is the common name of a small…
Blogetty Blog 4: Caterpillars The caterpillar cages were an outstanding feature of our schoolroom. They have emerged clearly as I have dredged my brain for childhood memories, Made of plain unpainted white wood with glass doors hinged to open at the front, they were large enough to hold water vases for small tree ‘branchlets’: perhaps 18 – 24 inches square by 10 inches deep. There were at least two…
Soon after I was born my father decided to move his family from Warnham Court, my Grandfather’s house in Sussex, to London where he rented the house at 32 Walton Street. He had resumed his career as a stockbroker when the war ended and had been obliged to spend part of each week staying at the Bath Club, but he no longer wanted constant separations from his family. My…