24 June is the feast of the Birth of John the Baptist. It's Midsummer Day, once the date of the solstice, which was carefully chosen symbolism: Christ's birth is celebrated at midwinter, as light begins to grow, and John at midsummer, as it begins to wane aclerkofoxford.blogspot.com/2015/06/swa-sw…

Bird place-name of the day 10: title bird and place of my book this one. YAXLEY (Cambs). OE geac + leah. ‘Cuckoo’s clearing’. From a time when the Fen was really fen. #thecuckooslea #birdsandplace

St John's Wort, so named as it should be harvested #OTD - the Feast of John the Baptist 💛
In the Doctrine of Signatures (the idea that God left medical hints in the look of plants) its sunshine yellow meant it was used to ward off evil spirits; it is now used against depression

24 June is the feast of the Birth of John the Baptist. It's Midsummer Day, once the date of the solstice, which was carefully chosen symbolism: Christ's birth is celebrated at midwinter, as light begins to grow, and John at midsummer, as it begins to wane aclerkofoxford.blogspot.com/2015/06/swa-sw…

Tonight being St John's eve, was traditionally one of the calendar nights where you might bake a 'Dumb Cake'
Those (UNMARRIED) wishing to prognosticate your intended beau can grab a partner and the following ingredients...

Hoar Stone near Neat Enstone🪨
This vast and pitted stone is 3m high, the remains of a Neolithic chambered tomb.
According to local legend it is called the Old Soldier & goes down to the village for a drink on midsummer's eve.
#StandingStoneSunday #FolkloreSunday

“The wild briar rose and elder are the flowers which most distinctly speak of June and midsummer”
Artist: CF Tunnicliffe writer: EL Grant Watson

I finally had the chance to visit St John the Baptist, Northorpe, nr Gainsborough. A very pretty church, located on a bend in the main street through the village. What makes this place special, is that the Churchyard here is reputed to be home to Lincolnshire's only 'Barghest'.

Sainfoin - a beautiful flower with a beautiful name🌸
The name is French for 'wholesome hay' (because it is protective again ailments for cattle) but the flower became known as 'holy hay' (due to the similarity of 'sain' & 'saint')🩷

St. Mary, Breamore in Hampshire is a remarkably complete Anglo-Saxon survival of the late C10th. Here I photographed it with the Elizabethan Breamore House in the background.

A beautiful picture of the solstice moon! When the moon is full at the summer solstice, it's traditionally associated with 'midsummer madness'. The full moon and midsummer itself were both proverbially linked to lunacy, so the combination of the two is a heady mix...

The god Mithras as Sol from the Mithraeum at Carrawburgh #Solstice #HadriansWall

14th century doorway from the great gatehouse at Battle Abbey in East Sussex. #AdoorableThursday 📸 My own.

Petition to bring back calling students “learning knights”

The joyous floral sunshine of 'eggs & bacon' - a favourite flower & name🍳🥓
It is also known as bird’s-foot-trefoil (after the shape of its seed pods & leaves) but the name I first learnt as a child was the breakfast-themed one!🧡💛❤️