Into the spring fresh warm, we gathered, primroses and violets on the woodland floor. Nicky bought news of her trip to Morocco, still recovering from riding a camel and mule, but with a delightful sketch book of water colours which we could see. Kally was not well, but we welcomed Gina and Jago (who came first time to the wood).
Elders on Alder: It is monoecious – having the male and female reproductive organs in separate flowers on the same plant. (The majority of native trees fall into this category, including trees like oak, birch, beech and hazel).
Likes swampy ground
Burns well
Dunwich River, there is Alder Carr –
Represents strength and courage
Irish believe you can be attacked by hogets hiding underneath the Alder
Only broadleaf tree with cones
Celtic Moon Tree
Leaves good for treating skin conditions
Venice is built on Alder
Bark contains an anti-oxident
Bark used for tanning leather
Aldershot!
We walked to the cabin, where we stretched out and tapped.
Under John Eslings inspiring and clear instruction we learned how to top the hazel woven fence around the pond with a ‘Suffolk weave’, to point out pencils and stakes, and to sned the hazel. Some of us even had a duel with hazel.
Some of us walked onto the land, to see the manifestation, the flaying, harrowing, sowing and rolling done on the areas of sowing a herbal and grass lay, to prepare for the land to be planted with trees this autumn.
The story of Rachel and the farmer
‘I’d always hoped to marry a farmer, and have 6 children. But in my life, my various partners have been of the intellectual bent, few had wellington boots, or land connection. Then during a Samhain to Samhain event, when we declared our earlier hopes, and I declared this, i suddenly realised: I had become a farmer!’
Kinda Forest School 