Arctic Gold. Catkins in the Park, Noorderplantsoen, Groningen, The Netherlands
The Arctic Freeze is still upon us here in Groningen, the sky is fiercely blue and Sun is doing its very best. But still it's shivery weather.
To stretch my legs I walked out to the Noorderplantsoen. Thinking idly of the wealth of Stad in the early seventeenth century - when the City nearly doubled in size and invested heavily, too, in the battlements which later made way for the park - my eyes lit on these Catkins. Golden in the Sun, but Pale Cold Gold, though pretty indeed.
I didn't know that the word 'Catkin' was derived from the Dutch diminutive for cat: 'Katteken'. It was introduced into English by Henry Lyte (ca.1529-1607) in his translation (1578) of the botanical masterwork written by the great Rembert Dodoens (1517-1585). Curled up near my gas-fire, I had a great time leafing through my OED armed with a magnifying glass. Yes, I sometimes prefer books to 'on-line'...
Arctic Gold. Catkins in the Park, Noorderplantsoen, Groningen, The Netherlands
The Arctic Freeze is still upon us here in Groningen, the sky is fiercely blue and Sun is doing its very best. But still it's shivery weather.
To stretch my legs I walked out to the Noorderplantsoen. Thinking idly of the wealth of Stad in the early seventeenth century - when the City nearly doubled in size and invested heavily, too, in the battlements which later made way for the park - my eyes lit on these Catkins. Golden in the Sun, but Pale Cold Gold, though pretty indeed.
I didn't know that the word 'Catkin' was derived from the Dutch diminutive for cat: 'Katteken'. It was introduced into English by Henry Lyte (ca.1529-1607) in his translation (1578) of the botanical masterwork written by the great Rembert Dodoens (1517-1585). Curled up near my gas-fire, I had a great time leafing through my OED armed with a magnifying glass. Yes, I sometimes prefer books to 'on-line'...