If you trust in Nature, in the small Things that hardly anyone sees and that can so suddenly become huge, immeasurable… then everything will become easier for you, more coherent and somehow more reconciling, not in your conscious mind perhaps, which stays behind, astonished, but in your innermost awareness, awakeness, and knowledge. Rainer Maria Rilke, Letter 4 (16 July 1903), Letters…
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Just as we were expecting spring to arrive here in West Sussex winter descended upon us. Throughout the winter months I had hoped for some snow and then it finally turned up at the end of February and again in March. The snow storm known as the ‘Beast from the East’ meant we had that winter spring thing happening in…
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“Determined that this diary should start off with a bit of flourish, I sallied forth on this fine winter’s day to see what I could find in bloom. The answer was, quite a lot.” Richard Adams, A Nature Diary from Winter An anthology for the changing seasons“ It’s easy to assume that all the blooms and colour have disappeared when…
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“Nature never did betray…The heart that loved her…For she can so inform the mind that is within us.” From The Nature Notes of an Edwardian Lady by Edith Holden And so begins The Nature Notes of an Edwardian Lady – open on my botanical desk on a November day with its drawing of dock seed. I also have collected here…
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It’s snowdrop season! From January to March – depending on regions and the weather – carpets of snowdrops in woodlands, meadows and gardens signal the end of winter and the promise of spring. Now I might be enthusiastic about walks where I can admire these harbingers of spring but I want my kids – nine year old twins – to…
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![A secret of my garden is that here and there it is filled with fruits, flowers and herbs that have medicinal and culinary benefits. I know I’m rather fond of flowers’ common names, but also getting clues from their Latin names. Borage, Sage, Pot Marigold (Borago officinalis, Salvia officinalis, Calendula officinalis)…all have Latin names ending with ‘officinalis’ meaning ”of the apothecary shop.” Early pharmacies or apothecary shops were known as officinas🌿🌱🌺
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We have two lemon trees that provide fruit all year round. 🍋Lemons are ‘Citrus medica’…medica meaning useful as a medicine or curative. I’ve sprinkled rose petals on cakes and in baths. I also have Aloe vera in my succulent garden area in case we need it for sunburns. I have Rose pelargonium shrubs flowering in the garden all grown from little cuttings.
[Gifted Book] And now I also have lots of skin care recipes to try out, many which include ingredients in my garden or kitchen, after being gifted this book by the @herbalacademy … I think the Gardener’s Hand Cream recipe will be a must for me! (see my Story )
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This has also given me a wonderful flashback of when my now teen-wild-twins were toddlers. We lived in London and my favourite retreat with them was driving over and spending a morning wandering around and sitting on one of the lawns at the Chelsea Physics Garden of which I was a member…it was originally founded in 1673 by Apothecaries to grow and study key medicinal plants. There was always a magical and peaceful feeling there – and without fail it had a surprising curative effect on my twins as they always laughed quietly and played beautifully there!](https://wildabouthere.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)