O, 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 blossom'd 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!

As a matter of fact, I received a letter from Sissy Susan, who had some suggestions to make for the Easter edition:

'Dear Susan,

Curtsey. Next month is April - and what a lot of fun you can have! Here are some suggestions:

1. Easter - boys dressed by their mothers in pretty Easter outfits
2. First Communions - boys getting caught trying on their sister's First Communion dress and being forced to wear it all day, or longer.
3. Spring - mothers taking their sons to buy new spring outfits (pretty dresses and undies), and making them try them on in the store.
And finally,
4. Saints - Yes, saints - Since Easter is a very religious month to most religions, this is your chance to do something on saints and really get carried away...'

Of course, I can only use the material I have. However, I must say that First Communion dresses are gorgeous, pure snow white, and, years ago, worn with the prettiest and fluffiest of petticoats. Were any of my readers ever caught trying on their sister's communion frocks? If so I would be very interested to hear about it. I would also very much like to write more about the Celtic saints, and perhaps I will in the future.

It is unfortunate that here in Britain the celebration of Easter will be clouded by the disastrous outbreak of foot and mouth disease. Hopefully, this will provide a warning to governments that inoculation against diseases like this can never be safely abandoned. I realise that in most cases the animals were finally intended for human consumption, yet their shooting still seems tragic.

But here in England April is a very important month for another reason: April 23 is the Feast Day of St George, England's patron saint. Extraordinarily enough, England's greatest poet (William Shakespeare) and greatest painter (Joseph Turner) were both born on St George's Day, Shakespeare in 1564, and Turner in 1775. Others to share this birthdate are Vladimir Nabokov, and Shirley Temple, who will be 73 years old. Miss Temple's birthday may be of interest to those amongst my readers who like frilly, little girl style dresses and petticoats. To celebrate St George's Day, below is a superb photograph of a lion taken by Chrissy on a recent trip to Africa. I will feature another of Chrissy's photographs in the 'Country Views' section next month.

Last month I also received two pictures from Caroline, who wrote a year ago, and whose letter 'My Husband's Life as a Convent Schoolgirl' was published in the April 2000 issue. I have added the pictures and a note to her original letter.

I also wish to announce that the film clip of 'Everything But the Truth', which was featured on the cover of the March issue, is no longer available. Lindsey kindly made it possible for many readers to view this marvellous clip, which was of very high quality, but the transfers have played havoc with Lindsey's allowed bandwidth, and it is necessary that the file be removed. I hope that readers appreciate her generosity in letting us view this little treat.

In the meantime, I hope that you all enjoy this issue, although I have not been able to fulfil Sissy Susan's wishes. A very enjoyable Easter or Passover, and a stirring and patriotic St George's Day, to you all!
Susan MacDonald