‘Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate.
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date.’
The words of William Shakespeare written over 400 years ago. On the surface, the poem is simply a statement of praise about the beauty of the beloved; summer tends to unpleasant extremes of windiness and heat, but the beloved is always mild and temperate.
As we move gently through the year towards summer, May is the month which characterises our changeable English weather with its occasional ‘rough winds’ shaking new growth.
2023 is an historic year! Although we have mourned the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, it is time to herald a new era as King Charles III will be crowned at Westminster Abbey on 6th May. Throughout history one of our measures of time is the reign of kings and queens. Often, too, each era comes with our perceptions of fashion and social conditions. You can conjure up visions of the Elizabethan or Victorian eras and what you think the significance of these times were.
Can you do the same for Elizabeth II era? Some will remember street parties and revelling at the Queen’s Coronation; were TVs only just commercially available?? What legacies do you think will be created during Charles III era? Come along to the Big Lunch around the church on May 7th to create your own history.
Perhaps it is significant that the coronation is held in May. Our social environment will change, just as the weather does. May gives us a chance to prepare for the new season with trees blossoming and flowers showing their beautiful variety and colours. Our metaphorical ‘grey’ months are changing and beauty abounds.
With three bank holidays this month, what more can motivate you?!
God Save The King.
Martin