I would like to wish all my blog followers and readers the very warmest and gentlest of festive seasons, with all the wonder and joy that this time of the year captures at its heart. I will be taking a break from the blog and probably other social media too, from now until after the …
Celebrating the Winter Solstice
Winter Solstice: December 21st - 22nd At this time of year, we are bombarded with artificial light and colour, adverts, demands and family pressures. It is easy to loose the essence of the season in all the commercialisation and expectation. Without a religious faith as such, I have to try hard to find a deeper …
December
Condensed days, stolen moments of connection. This month we start and end the day in darkness, hours of daylight are short. Sometimes cold and crisp and bright, other times the sun declines to show its face. Nonetheless, we are buoyed by our own lights - those of candle, fairy light and log burner. It’s hard …
November
Remember remember in the dark of November... where did we leave the box of matches for lighting the log burner?! Home from our mini-honeymoon week in Somerset and glorious north Exmoor, and autumn has fully matured. In fact, it’s starting to feel a little wintery already! (If you’re not feeling quite ready for winter yet, …
Preparing for Winter
(There is something special about the world, when everyone else is asleep. I am writing this in a stolen hour at 3am. I have the coming day off, so I can nap later when the day gets crowded. For now, it's just me, and the quiet tip-tapping of keys.) Winter is coming, and I am …
The Many Faces of All Hallows
The candles are lit, an extra place is laid at the table, and a carved grotesque sits on the windowsill to spook would-be mischief makers. Somewhere behind the cloud cover, it is full moon. As night falls, Samhain (pronounced 'sow-ane') is here! This year, I've had little time to prepare for the Samhain or All-Hallows-Eve …
Public Service Announcement
This, is your annual reminder - Don't light up, and don't let go! In autumn we blaze against the shortening daylight by sparking lights of our own. The raking of leaves, pruning of trees and general tidying up of gardens is a perfect excuse for a bonfire; on all Hallows Eve we fight our fear …
October
Search Pinterest with the word 'October' and it wont be long at all before you come across the quote, attributed to Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery's character Anne of Green Gables: "I am so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.". And Anne my dear, I couldn't agree more! Autumn is certainly …
From little acorns…
Happy Autumn Equinox, and welcome to Seed Gathering Season! This annual campaign organised by The Tree Council, is hoped to inspire people across the country to plant and nurture tree seedlings, to help safeguard the future of our woodlands and tree-scapes. You can find out more at: https://treecouncil.org.uk/take-action/seasonal-campaigns/seed-gathering-season/ The campaign runs from September 23rd, to …
Pots of promises – planting for joy in the darkest months
Autumn is the time to plant bulbs for spring blooms, but have any of you tried forcing bulbs for indoor displays before? (Not sure I like the term forcing; encouraging perhaps?!)I stumbled across these adorable little terracotta pots the other day and simply had to get some. Then of course I had to think of …
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Sussex Field Notes 