Thursday, April 07, 2011

Forget-me-not time again

The forget-me-nots (Myosotis sylvestris) are in flower now, little sky mimicking flowers between Midsummer Pond and the western edge of Emthree.

20110407 002There is a certain vagueness about this plant, well expressed by John Hill who wrote in 1756 "It is said to be an astringent, but its virtues are not certainly known."

People used to give someone forget-me-nots if they were going on a journey on 29 February.  Since it is not usually in flower at that season of the year, this could be problematical.

Writers like it.  For example Miss Price in Dylan Thomas's Under Milk Wood said "I will knit you a wallet of forget-me-not blue, for the money, to be comfy."

John Neal in Goody Gracious and the forget-me-not wrote "if you get tired of being here, all you have to do will be just to pull it up out of the earth, and wish yourself at home, and you will find yourself there in a moment, in your own little bed."  I wonder what he was on.