Welcome to May in June

The Hawthorn is in flower at Einar. It’s also known at the May-tree because it flowers in May. In Orkney it should be renamed the June-tree, that’s how far the seasons are behind here.

  
Hawthorn is meant to smell of rotting flesh because of the triethylamine the flowers produce. People used to say that Hawthorn smelled like the Great Plague. I put my nose in them but the wind means I can’t smell the flowers at all. It’s probably a good job.