I THINK we can safely cast our clouts now. May is well and truly out.
Not the month, but the blossom.
The old folk always admonished youngsters taking advantage with a bit of early spring sunshine with the tried and trusted country saw Cast not a clout until May is out.
They were, of course, in their Olde English way, warning us not to stop wearing winter clothing until the may blossom was on the trees.
Once the hawthorns in particular had started producing flowers, then it was safe to cast off your winter clothing and wear something more appropriate to spring.
The hedgerows are filled with blossom now. Gardens are pink and white with cherry blossom - and magnolia if you are lucky enough to have a tree - while the country lanes are bright with the white flowers of the hawthorn.
Now the buds have burst [and until then they are apparently quite tasty as a countryman's snack] it really looks as if the countryside has come to life.
The trees coming into leaf is exciting enough but the sight of the blossom always brings summer that much closer. Magnificent trees like the horse chestnut are also in flower now, tall splendours that they are.
Other trees will also be in flower. Hay fever sufferers will already know that the silver birch is shedding its pollen as this is one of the major causes of early-season hay fever.
Music On The Moss: Back to the sixties again with Shawn Phillips, one of my favourite musicians. Red hair down to his waist, a 12-string guitar in hand and latterly a double-necked guitar, his music moves easily from folk through rock to jazz, aided by a voice capable of covering several octaves that was powering a music far ahead of its time.
I'm listening to his first major album, Contribution, along with his second, Contribution II. From the stunning beauty of Withered Roses which opens the first to the way Phillips works with slow ballads, adding orchestra to a catalogue of rock heroes which include Traffic's Steve Winwood and Jim Capaldi along with session guitarist legend Jim Cregan, in a variety of styles which range from the complex to the simple.
Phillips is still making music thankfully. Check out www.shawnphillips.com

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