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Evergreen Spring 2012
“Lady Spring brings breezes soft, and scatters crocus gold, primroses and violets, and daffodils so bold”… thus proclaims the first verse of our illustrated introductory poem, setting the scene for the latest issue of the magazine which contains a colourful bouquet of assorted articles, photographs and poems.
The floral theme is very much to the fore in our “Countrycall” feature, entitled “A posy of spring flowers”, which looks at some of the favourite blooms to be found in the fields and hedgerows of Britain at this time of year. The article also includes more snatches of poetry inspired by the season, with quotations from Anne Bronte and Rudyard Kipling.
A poet whose life and work are looked at in rather more detail in this issue is John Masefield. The author of “Sea Fever”, “Cargoes” and numerous other poems many readers will have learnt at school is the subject of “The Literary Pilgrim” . The former Poet Laureate retained a lifelong love of Herefordshire and his home town of Ledbury; we explore his favourite haunts and the places that had such a powerful influence on him.
The milder spring days will be encouraging many people to venture out and about, and there are no shortage of events to attend and places to visit. One of the more unusual of these, the annual World Dock Pudding Championship, is described in our “Almanac” feature. The fiercely contested – but good-natured -competition takes place in April in the wonderfully named village of Mytholmroyd in Yorkshire, with local cooks using all their skills to create this tasty delicacy.
A number of interesting places that can be visited at any time of year are featured in illustrated articles in this issue. These include Bodmin in Cornwall, the only Cornish town to feature in the Domesday Book and an unlikely haven for the Crown Jewels during the First World War, West Green House in Hampshire which has been voted one of the UK’s top 50 gardens, and Hardknott Fort in the Lake District where the remains of a Roman military settlement can be explored. While travelling around the country you might very well come across some of the unusual items of topiary described and depicted in our “Byways” article. You will most certainly encounter road signs in all their various shapes and colours. But do you know the stories behind some of the more familiar ones? Our article, “On the Road”, will point you in the right direction.
None of those signposts will direct you to a place called “Memory Lane”, but just by browsing the 148 pages of the magazine you will often find yourself in that quieter, more restful place. Figures from the world of entertainment whose stories are told include Billy Cotton (and his “Band Show”), versatile character actress Beryl Reid, Frank Muir and Denis Norden on the radio programme “My Word”, and actor George Baker whose little-known career in New Zealand as Ngaio Marsh’s detective Inspector Alleyn is recalled.
Other items in this issue include, “My First Job”, in which a lady remembers working in a wedding-dress shop in Falkirk as a teenager, “Our Christian Heritage” with a look at some unusual epitaphs and gravestones, and the thought-provoking “Victims of Technology” which highlights some of the things that people “no longer do” (use public telephones, write letters etc.) in 21st-century Britain. Do you agree?
Preview our new issue below and dive into Evergreen today. Never miss an issue and subscribe here.
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