Spring Awakening

The individual seasons all have their own unique qualities that we can enjoy, but I think that on the whole Spring is the season that is most welcomed by the majority.

Signalling the possibility of lighter evenings and, dare I say it a touch of sunlight on the skin, Spring casts off the long dark winter evenings spent huddled together in a nationwide hibernation, reliant on lamps and central heating to bring warmth to our interiors - or perhaps a scented candle if you’re feeling fancy.

Spring is when the world reawakens. Gardeners begin to hopefully sow seeds and the first shoots of green start to appear, songbirds return to fill the great outdoors with music and chatter, and after a gluttony of rich winter stews, we all anticipate those culinary delights reserved for spring. Asparagus season, great swathes of wild garlic in woodland, the arrival of shipments of Jersey potatoes and personally for me, those first delicious stalks of purple sprouting broccoli that appears in my local greengrocer. After a winter of prosecco, sloe gin, roast dinners and puddings galore, enjoying a cool glass of water and some fresh green vegetables is a simple pleasure that should never be overlooked.

Spring is a season of anticipation.

Spring is also when people start to feel their energy begin to return. After a lethargic winter there are suddenly Things To Do. The garden needs to be brought back to life, the washing can be put out to dry on the line again and there is colour to be seen in the great outdoors. Bluebells! Snowdrops! Crocuses! 

Perhaps this year is an anomaly because I think we are all tired of the three words that our social lives have been limited to: “fancy a walk?” But in normal years, who doesn’t enjoy a saunter through a bluebell woodland? 

This is the year where many of us have had the time to forge a greater connection to the world outside our front doors. They say to be tired of London is to be tired of life, but how many city dwellers have been so busy on the great hamster wheel of metropolitan life that they failed to notice the small subtle differences that differentiate the slow turning of the wheel of the year?

I have been anticipating this Spring more strongly than in any other year. After a tough, stagnant year, we are all ready for renewal and for life to be breathed back into us. Whilst we use the words ‘return to normal', I don’t think many of us want to return to the exact lives we had before. The pandemic has given us a pause, space to breathe and think. We don’t want old normality, we want to embrace the progress that we have made, the new connections we have forged, the relationships we have strengthened and the habits that we have created that have supported us. What we are ready for is to embrace the new opportunities in a world that is open again. Spring is here to reawaken us, just as the natural world around us goes through periods of hibernation and growth, so do we. It has been a long hibernation, but Spring is here, the world is starting to wake up and the opportunity for growth is there. If you have even a small change that you wish to make, sometimes all you need is a bit of sunlight and water to help it take a root, and then flourish. 

A Digital Halloween

It’s the time of the year where the curtain between the worlds of the living and the dead draws very thin. Things start to go bump in the night, some start to hear whispers from the other side and you occasionally catch shadows dancing, just in the very corner of your eye.

Is there anybody out there?

Are we alone?

The question of ‘are we alone’ is a hot topic this year, however not in the usual frame of questioning the existence of the supernatural. We are alone, because COVID has contained us. Many of us would usually be celebrating All Hallows Eve in a variety of different, but undoubtedly social ways. Guising (or ‘Trick or Treating’ if you insist on being terribly modern, or American) costume parties, haunted houses, pumpkin trails, ghost nights, even talks & exhibitions are all limited to your direct households this year. I’ve seen cries of ‘Halloween is cancelled’ because the usual activities are on a temporary hold - however you don’t need to throw the baby out with the bathwater. This is not the Great Plague of 1666 - we have modern technology now. Halloween can go digital.

This year has forced organisations to go online a lot more this year, and this is a good thing as it also increases accessibility. The National Theatre did a marvellous job at the start of lockdown with their At Home series - more of the same please. There is a lot out there to see and do, and all from the comfort & safety of your own home. Here is my pick of the best:

Shakespeares Globe #ShakesFear Programme 31st Oct - 11th November

Described as ‘A fearful programme of performances, events, exclusive content and workshops, filmed in the shadows of our candlelit Sam Wanamaker Playhouse.’

Have you ever visited the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse? As soon as this is over - go! It is truly atmospheric. A really wonderful theatrical experience. I was lucky enough to catch ‘Swive’ there, and the use of candles was very inspiring. I have my tickets booked for ‘Deep Night, Dark Night’ but you can also catch a reading of Macbeth: A Conjuring.

National Library of Scotland: Borders Witch Hunt with Mary Craig - Thursday 29th October

A free talk courtesy of the National Library of Scotland. Scotland is well known for it’s witches; the Weird Sisters from Macbeth, the North Berwick witches, Isobel Gowdie and many many more. We are a country teeming with folklore and magic. I have to confess not knowing much about any Borders witches, or witch hunts though - apart from the local legend of Tibbie Tamson.

I look forward to learning more from Mary Craig as she introduces her book on the topic - which has of course gone straight onto my Christmas Wishlist.

The National Library of Scotland are also following this up with a talk the next day from Dr Alice Tarbuck about her book ‘A Spell in the Wild’.

Now, I do have this book - but have not cracked it open yet! I might wait till the auspicious date to fully immerse myself with it. What drew me towards it was it looked like a wonderful look at the history of witchcraft, and also how people look to it today. Manifestation, meditation, mindfulness - could these all be aspects of what people would call modern witchcraft today? I guess I’ll need to read the book to find out! As you’ll realise from my last post too, the author had me at the words ‘month by month’, that sounds promisingly seasonal to me!

The English Heritage Halloween Podcast

English Heritage are putting on a number of different events across some of their venues this year. Check out their website for more information. For those of us at home, they produce a very atmospheric ‘Dark Tales from English Heritage Sites’ podcast. Well worth a listen. In fact - there are a whole host of podcasts online worth looking into for a scare. A great place to look is the BBC Sounds App. They recently produced ‘A History of Ghosts’ with Kirsty Logan (not to be confused with ‘A Natural History of Ghosts’ - a brilliant book from Roger Clarke. That is an Amazon link, but please purchase from your local bookshop). I have also been listening to the suitable scary Children of the Stones, which features Reece Shearsmith. Sometimes there is nothing better than heading out for a long dog walk with your headphones on and a chilling tale to get the blood pumping. Just don’t look back…

Other things to look out for

Sadly you have just missed the brilliant ‘Ghost Stories from Hampton Court Palace’ crowdcast from Historic Royal Palaces. I can assure you that it was suitably spooky, with some interesting historical insights. It’s well worth to keep an eye on your nearest heritage sites to see if they are offering anything similar. In years gone by there have been some thrilling events here in the Borders - ghost hunting at Jedburgh Castle Jail, the ghost walks at The Haining. I look forward to sleepless nights from taking part in them all again in the future.

But Won’t Someone Think Of The Children?

Whilst I was writing this, I did realise that the above aren’t the most child friendly activities. So here’s a few ideas to stop the wee ghouls from haunting you.

A local halloween trail

Perhaps there is something officially on - I know there are plenty down south. However unofficially - lots of people are making the effort to decorate their houses to bring a smile (or a scream) to the lips of local children who will be missing out on the guising this year. Without knocking on anyones door, perhaps you could work out a route which features some well dressed houses and take your little ones for a spooky walk in the evening gloam. For any nature lovers you could incorporate trying to spot a few beasties - bats, owls but hopefully no passing witches on their broomsticks!

It can be just as fun decorating your own house too, why not get into costume and wave at passersby from your window. I had to deliver a full size skeleton last weekend so had it sat in the front seat of my car - it definitely got a few laughs as I cruised through town!

A visit to the pumpkin patch

Is there anything so synonymous with All Hallow’s Eve then the pumpkin? An American import, apparently we have professional patches here now that you can visit for photos. Get the sprogs dressed up & take them out for the day. Finish the night with carving & display your frightful creations with pride. Turnips can also be used if you really want to frighten the neighbours. Have you seen a traditional carved turnip? Nightmare inducing.

Traditional Party Games

You can have a party just for your immediate household! The best halloween parties do not involve sexy mouse costumes & extensive photoshoots for instagram - they involve ridiculously messy party games. Dooking for apples, eating doughnuts tied on strings with your hands tied around your back - and one game personally invented by my family for one particularly riotous Halloween party - Pumpkin Skittles.

How do you play Pumpkin Skittles I hear you ask? Well - if you must know, then I take no responsibility for the health and safety involved in the playing of this game. People can possibly hurt themselves, but it is always a crowd pleaser.

Step One: Hang one large pumpkin to a beam, or branch with rope.

Step Two: Participants stand on stools, within the rope’s swing. These are your human skittles.

Step Three: The aim of the game is for the bowler to (gently) swing the pumpkin so that it knocks the human skittles off their stools. Don’t let it get too violent, ideally the pumpkin shouldn’t be swung to head height, and the stools should be low ones anyway so really the skittles are just jumping off once knocked by the pumpkin. Use your common sense - it is excellent fun. Shoving your beloved child onto a stool and throwing a pumpkin at them - what could possibly go wrong?

And there we have it - a round up of just a few things that can look out for to help mark the occasion this year. I know it’s difficult not being able to celebrate with our friends and loved ones - but don’t let the whole occasion wash away if you want to do something. Telling spooky stories by torchlight, watching a scary film, even a living room disco to Thriller and the Monster Mash -this is the year to get creative. Have fancy dress zoom parties or go full Mary Shelley and write a gothic masterpiece in a storytelling competition. This may be a quieter year, but don’t let it go unmarked - and certainly tuck into a family size grab bag of chocolate if you so wish!

Happy Halloween!

An Apple a Day

They say an apple a day keeps the doctor away, however that might not be the case for how I enjoy mine - generally stewed with lots of cinnamon & mixed in with my morning porridge. Delicious.

This weekend was one of my yearly highlights - Apple Day at Priorwood Gardens. Apple Day is usually celebrated across the UK on the 21st October, however due to a particularly soggy and stormy month, this years local event was rearranged for the 24th.

I care very deeply about living seasonally - eating seasonally, noticing the changing landscape and wildlife and embracing the changes in routine and practice that each season can bring. It would be hard to pick out a clear favourite as each season has it’s own beauty (and downsides!) but I do think Autumn just edges it. The glorious russet and gold colours of the changing leaves, their crispness underfoot, a chance to dig out those favourite woolly jumpers, babysoft scarves and cocoon into blankety, oversized coats. Maybe it’s the September ‘back to school’ feeling, but I find that Autumn just energises me - and I love the events that come with it.

Halloween, Bonfire Night, and of course - Apple Day.

I only stumbled across Apple Day last year, in a desperate search for scrogs (crab apples) to replenish our homemade apple jelly stores. Apple jelly is a glorious thing that we now can’t be without. Curries, gravies, casseroles, stews - any of these dishes now feel incomplete without a dollop of apple jelly just to finish it off. We unfortunately don’t have any fruit trees of our own, but we had been informed that the best apple jelly comes from scrogs & so scrogs it had to be. I went along with a friend & stumbled into a surprising new passion for heritage apples.

Priorwood Gardens are a lovely attraction in the Scottish Borders. I have many fond memories of enjoying after-school ice creams from Simply Delicious within it’s peaceful walls of ancient, crumbly stone. What I didn’t know then was that actually Priorwood is a real centre for cultivating heritage apples as well as Scotland’s only dedicated dried flower garden. It is such a tranquil space, decorated with gorgeous wicker sculptures. Melrose is a beautiful place, but it really comes into its own during this time of year. Beautiful red brick buildings with smoke gently billowing from chimneys, the atmospheric ruins of the ancient abbey (complete with The Bruce’s heart, and a bagpipe playing pig) and a buzzing high street full of fantastic independent shops. Just like a portal to another world, you can step through the stone archway into Priorwoods heritage oasis and enjoy a space that embodies seasonal, slow living. Old apple trees groaning with produce, bees gently humming, and coloured blooms still out to admire, even in October.

Every year they hold an Apple Day where you can learn about the little seen varieties, browse stalls and - most importantly, buy from the windfall stocks. As you’ll see from the photo each variety is carefully labelled with a little bit about it’s history. They always have brilliant stalls with local crafts and produce. I always load up with apple juice from Laprig Valley, based in nearby Duns. I tried their Spartan variety this morning and it was so good I had two glasses - luckily they are also stocked by Purple Plum Greengrocers on the high street. I also picked up a jar of Eildon Hills Honey, which is produced by the bees that inhabit Priorwood Garden - assisted by the beekeeper! They had a whole range from different times of the year, so I chose a jar which should have elements of blossom in the flavour. Eildon Hills Honey also run various courses about beekeeping - its something I would love to do in the future, however I don’t have the space right now.

I wish I had taken more photos to showcase such a fabulous local event, however I will admit I just got to overexcited by all the apples & all the stalls. Easily done! If anything, this gives me the excuse to revisit Priorwood in a more mindful fashion & really soak up it’s beauty and it’s atmosphere.

There were no scrogs to be had this year, but I got hold of a few different varieties of apples to try instead. We’ve already had a go this summer with a variety of cookers from the local green grocer and the jelly came out a beautiful light pink colour, whilst last year’s crab apple batch was gloriously golden. This year we will be trying the White Melrose’s (which have an unusual, very tactile waxy texture, similar to the Carlisle Codlins that I was so intrigued by last year) Old Pearmain’s, and Golden Reinettes. Fingers crossed we shall be enjoying some delicious apple jelly all through the year, until Apple Day 2021!

Look out for my next post with some wonderful apple themed book recommendations!

A solitary, rain soaked apple left on the tree

When We Are Free

If I could reach back and tell my past self what to expect this year, I am not sure I would believe myself.

I think we are all sick of the word ‘unprecedented’, and yet it is the most accurate description for these events that we are experiencing. Whilst not an unusual occurrence over the course of history, the pandemic is indeed unprecedented in our lifetimes.

I thought I lived a slow, simple lifestyle where frankly, I didn’t get out much. But in the inability to get out now, I have started to notice all the little things that I once took for granted as part of daily life - but now have a deep appreciation for. I am in a reflective mood - so whilst this isn’t a sad moment, I did want to just have a little moment to create ‘a freedom list’. The things I look forward to taking for granted, or maybe making the effort to experience again, in the future.

• A swim in the Hampstead Ladies Pond

• The walk back to my hotel in London, after the theatre and when the streets feel buzzy. When I see something brilliant, I love having that chance to decompress and absorb what I’ve just witnessed. I also love all the quirky drinking holes I pass - maybe one day I’ll pop in and order a drink myself. Just for the fun, and freedom of it!

• Looking in the Bond Street windows when the lights are up - ideally in a taxi, at night, with a bit of drizzle.

• Exploring the Liberty Christmas Department - last year I came out with a large bejewelled Christmas Heron. Definitely an impulsive shopper.

• A pre-Christmas weekend with my family - a bit of shopping, a lot of eating, and a lot of excitement about the well deserved break from work and some guilt free indulgence! Last year we took in the food festival at Hampton Court and it was very magical.

• A frosty morning’s commute to work. For the rest of my life I will appreciate each and every day where I can go to work as normal.

• Hogmanay Parties - I am of the smug tribe that likes to watch the fireworks & the chimes on the telly before retreating to bed and waking up early, and fresh the next day. I think next year deserves a bit of a proper send off/welcome.

• Pedicures - I long for a good old firm foot rub. I bribed my niece last time I saw her.

• Putting the tree up at work. I’m not sure we have a need this year, but we’ll meet again old friend.

• The Christmas Markets - having worked at them, I don’t always feel the need to go. But it’s always nice to know that they are there.

You’ll have noticed a theme so far - Winter and the upcoming festive period is definitely on my mind today! I will continue to write freedom lists, and hopefully they will reflect the changing of the seasons as the year progresses.

What would you include on your Freedom List?

The First Frost

The North Wind Doth Blow…

The First Frost is always anticipated rather excitedly in our household. As the barometer begins to fall it starts to become part of the weekly decision - will it be this week? Tomorrow?

It is a pivotal moment in the changing of the season. The slow descent into the darker, chillier months - the time to dust off the knitted scarves and gloves that were thrown into the back of the cupboard, ready for another season of service. Last year I knitted three full snoods, two of which were to give as presents during the festive season. A huge amount of work went into them and it was a slow process - however I felt a much more confident knitter when they were done. I haven’t picked up my needles since.

The First Frost must be noted in a more meaningful, respectful way. A nod to the turn of the year - and a chance to be mindful and note the small changes it brings. As I write this, I notice how the yellowing leaves have seemingly gone that bit more definitively orange with the arrival of this mornings frost. It is a day to wake up that little bit earlier and go for a walk whilst the frost still glistens on grass blades and pine needles. The leaves crunch satisfyingly under foot, and mist rises off the river.

The talk will now turn from when the first frost might happen, to when the loch will freeze over for the first time.

I would love to go back in time to experience London’s Frost Fairs. Between 1300 and 1870 Britain experienced a ‘Little Ice Age’ and winters were so cold that the Thames would freeze solidly enough for residents to not just stand and walk upon the ice - but could actually have fires to roast oxen on the frozen river. The Frost Fair became a real community event that attracted stalls and revellers - tickets and souvenirs were purchased to commemorate the years. The final frost fair was in February 1814.

From all this initial excitement, my relationship with frosts will quickly deteriorate. My car is not frost friendly, and I often have to scrape both the outside and the inside. I revel in the beauty of these first early frosts, but ask me what I think of them again later.