Dalziel – Deborah Makarios

Crabapple blossoms spread their five white petals widely to the sun. Below them, fresh green leaves surround clusters of pink buds.

Now that the kōwhai has done its dash, the nearby crabapple has taken on the mantle of Plant Disappearing Under Its Own Flowers. I could claim that this was a cleverly planned succession arrangement, but for one thing, it wouldn’t be honest; and for another, who can really organize a succession of blooming in these days of climatic uncertainty? This same crabapple also bloomed while ripening its fruit last autumn. The one surviving apple from the autumn bloom is now looking rather shrivelled and sad, after having the tree to itself all winter.

Interesting Times

You may have met some overachieving families in your time, but it’s hard to beat the family of King Christian IX of Denmark. Taking his six children in order:

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If you have ever taken an interest in heraldry, and more particularly, Scottish heraldry, there will have been a moment when you have asked yourself: what’s with the naked guy??

The coat of arms of Dalziel is heraldically described as “Sable, a man’s body proper” – which is to say, black, with a naked guy on it. It should be noted that “proper” in heraldic terms refers to something being displayed in its natural colour – a lion vert is green; a lion proper is yellow – rather than any armorial judgement on the inappropriateness or otherwise of full frontal nudity.

A heraldic display including the Dalziel coat of arms showing a naked man on a black background, and the motto I Dare. — The heraldic supporters also look a bit baffled, if not slightly embarrassed.

Whether the naked man is proper in non-heraldic terms is one question. The larger question, of course, is what on earth is he doing there? Who thought this was a good idea?? And why???

The story goes that many many years ago, back in the reign of King Kenneth “Kinslayer” the Second, i.e. not long before dates went from having three digits to having four, a beloved kinsman of King Kenneth the Kinslayer was slain – not, in this case, by Kenneth – and he was Not Amused. (King Kenneth, that is, though the kinsman was probably not amused either.)

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Tag: Dalziel

Conifers, Yogh, and the Overachieving Family of Christian IX

Interesting Times

The Two Mysteries of Dalziel