Brentford (Middlesex) - A town to remember - Stories from Janis Biddle (nee Holland)

Story from Janis
"MIDSUMMER DAY"
June 24th Midsummer picture

To my mind there is nothing more evocative of a
summer's day than a daisy spangled lawn or
meadow. When I was a child I used to enjoy
sitting on the lawn in Carville Hall Park in the summer month's
making daisy chains with my friends and we used to see who could
make the longest chain with out it breaking. Medicinally the juice
of the daisy leaves was used in medieval times as a remedy for gout
and rheumatism, and it was believed that if heated and inhaled it
would cure migraine.

Officially Spring is said to commence on 21st March, but an old
country saying proclaimed that spring had arrived when you could
put a foot on three daises.

With the coming of Midsummer's Day on 24th June, village girls used
to gather in the meadows and with eyes closed, pick a handful of
grass. There was great excitement as they examined their bunch,
for the number of daisies in it, they believed, indicated the number
of years they would have to wait until their wedding day!

So this small white flower will always have a special place in my heart,
for the lovely qualities it symbolises - innocence and fidelity.

I hope you enjoy the rest
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Last Updated: 6th NOVEMBER 2005