The peregrination of the green man

Invercargill has its green men, cast in aluminium and cemented into the stonework along the city streets - goodness knows how that came about, but there they are, all Robin-Hoodish and leafy. Now Riverton has them too, only ours are painted onto the lamposts up and down the main street. They must be a Southland theme - some kind of verdant, bucolic thing that speaks of fecundity and festival. I like them.