Lesley’s Carrot and Lentil soup warmed our hearts and bodies, ready for another glorious afternoon of community, friendship, and connection. We thought of doing a recipe book week by week. Martin brought an inspired and delicious loaf to share- we felt so blessed by this perfect crusty creation.
Amongst the blossom and wildflowers, a beautiful bunch of elders met in the Spring of the greening Kaliwoods…
We spent a few minutes in silence, listening to the harmonious birdsong and grounding ourselves, leaving our worries behind us and connecting to the landscape and time in our lives.
A radio professor told us about how wildflowers and insects evolved together 40 million years ago. They remain co-dependent and the earth in turn relies on the flowering plants and insects to keep turning. Look after the bees!
We passed Meg’s talking stick, part of a Rowan tree with Ivy growing around it to make a spiral… she asked the tree and it said yes!
We spoke of Borage and the courage that adding a flower to your drink will engender. Cross pollinators and loved by bees, popping up in unexpected places. Gorse yellow and bright and Fred’s beehives that he keeps in the field behind our house. Lilacs coming out. Dandelion, Daisies and Primroses. Celendine infiltrating the grass. Careful not to plant too many intentionally. Let the pollinators in! Green alconets and comfrey. Will brought photographs from the garden and we recognised the alconets, maybe a mallow, was that honeysuckle too?
Spontaneous homework found Garlic mustard and orange tipped butterflies. Jack by the hedge which is good in sandwiches and salads.
Kalli shared her French book – the Sex appeal of Plants – only in French!
Lily of the valley on my mother’s grave. Yes, to a bring and share Lily opportunity!
Spanish bluebells, more alconet, primroses in huge clutches where the soil is dug. Lavender to bathe in, Lavores =to wash and mothballs.
This year has been a fantastic season for wildflowers, with all the rain and sunshine mixed. Every Gorse flower is a Kiss for someone you love. The never-ending dispute about what to pull up in our garden… weeds or wildflowers? Deadnettle and comfrey self-spreading and successful in the garden. Comfrey soaked in water makes a great natural, if rather smelly, fertiliser.
There isn’t much in my garden, a lot of stones and bamboo, violets which haven’t been planted have appeared. I want to put in primroses & bluebells. It’s a slow work in progress. Thinking about wildflowers having coffee in my garden, brought thoughts and memories of my dear Aunt Lily.
I used to pull up weeds but now I don’t. Plantain and dandelions. Useful plants, a friend killed an abscess she had using a plantain poultice.
I have a new garden with lots of mud! Bristly Ox Tongue with its irritant prickly hairs, deep rooted but loves my garden! Thistles and a pencil picture of forget-me-knots. Constant inspiration, so successful and tenacious. Camomile, Violets and primroses in my gravel patio!
And so we moved into creative mode. A gallon of Young oak leaves, some procured from the Kali wood trees were added to the Elder’s fermentation bucket of imagination to start our brew of Oak leaf wine, should be ready by the Summer with luck!
A saw horse was constructed for the tool area and wood was gathered to keep the Fire going. Our table was adorned with wildflowers and we spent quiet time drawing & painting with pencils and watercolours.
Ivy wheeled her barrow and made tea in the mud kitchen.
We made name badges for new tribe members and Alder cone bees buzzed around happily.
Our traditional tea and scones rounded off our day with reflections on what we had done, conversations we had enjoyed, who we had connected with and what we were looking forward to over the next few months. Martin honoured us with a beautiful, poignant & spontaneous rendition of “Where have all the wildflowers gone?”
Another wholesome and cup filling afternoon passed, we look forward to meeting again next week in celebration of the invertebrates with the “Beautiful Bug Ball”!
Kinda Forest School 