It was sunny and frosty so a walk was a delight to start and work off the excesses of Christmas. Woods in winter have surprises, they show you how green they are. You do not always notice the abundance of ivy when all the leaves are on the trees, but in the winter you see ivy everywhere. Here it is decorated with sparkling hoar frost. Some people do not like ivy, but I love it, the last flowering plant of the season, and the fat round berries for the birds. Hedera Helix is the Latin name for Ivy, and of course there are many cultivated varieties. In winter it clothes the trunks of trees as if to keep them warm, and shelters and feeds wildlife. This picture is by John Noble Barlow 1861 - 1917, and illustrates ivy clothing the trunk of the trees in the foreground [Art Uk website] George Howland Beaumont 1753 - 1827 was a painter of the romantic and picturesque. You can see lots of his pictures of places in the English Lake District on the Art Uk website. Here is a romantic ruin cloaked in ivy. My most local ruin is managed by English Heritage, who don't like ivy, and keep their sites all neat and tidy. But I did find an odd corner with some ivy. Which reminded me of a song I learnt a long time ago, music by John Ireland, words by that brilliant poet Anon. Give me the depths of love that springs/ From friendship in misfortune grown;/ As ivy to the ruin clings / When every other hope has flown. / Give me that fond confiding love / That naught but death itself can blight;/ A flame that slander cannot move,/ But burns in darkness doubly bright. Ivy of course crops up in folk lore as well, and gains added respect in the chorus of "The North Countrymaid" as it is given equal status to trees The oak and the ash and the bonny ivy tree, I wish once again in the north I could be Ivy is also a Christian name or forename. Go into any Care Home or Nursing Home and call out "Ivy" and you will certainly get a response from nonagenarians or older. However, all things come round again. A newsletter from my smallest grandchild's Nursery welcomed the newcomers, and there was an IVY amongst them ! So what influences the choices of parents in naming their children ? When did IVY first become fashionable ? When did it go out of fashion ? And why is it returning ? By checking the Civil Registration of births there were 5 babies registered with the name Ivy between 1841 - 1850 and one called Ivyleaf. Between1851 and 1860 there were 8. Between 1861 - 1870 there were 36, so it was becoming more popular, but not yet a trend. Between 1871 - 1880 there were 357 babies registered with the name Ivy. And some were boys, as they had middle names such as James or George. So the name IVY had arrived. At least two families with the surname Berry named a child Ivy. One Berry family also had a Holly and an Arthur James. In the 1881 census there were 397 people with the name IVY and 68 with the name HOLLY. Ivy grew in popularity in the early twentieth century, between 1921 and 1930 33,371 babies were registered with the name IVY and only 58 with the name HOLLY. I was intrigued that Ivy was also considered a name for a boy, and discovered in Hampshire a family with the surname Hedderly who had a naming pattern of calling boys IVY, and a father with the names Jason Ivy Hedderly. Was this because their surname was rather like the Latin name for Ivy , Hedera ? So just to keep the balance, here is some holly and some words by Emily Bronte (also set to music by John Ireland)
Love is like the wild rose briar;/ Friendship like the holly tree./ The holly is dark when the rose briar blooms,/ But which will bloom most constantly? / The wild rose briar is sweet in spring,/ Its summer blossoms scent the air;/ Yet wait till winter comes again,/ And who will call the wild rose fair? / Then, scorn the silly rose wreath now,/ And deck thee with the holly's sheen,/ That, when December blights thy brow,/ He still may leave thy garland green. If you have chance, enjoy the Woods in Winter.
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AuthorThis is where you can share creativity with me. I believe that everyone has something creative within them, and it is a joy to find ways of being creative. Blogging is NEW to me, so here goes ..... Archives
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