Taken from Lynne’s weekly column ‘Green Scene’ for the Western Mail
5th October 2019
Dog Bless
Yogi was thrilled to get her invitation to the annual Pet Blessing tomorrow (Sunday 6th Oct) at 11 am at St. Michael’s Church, Llanvihangel Crucorney, near Abergavenny NP7 8DH.
She took me along last year and despite my reservations – Yogi is not so much ‘anti-social’ as ‘selectively social’ – it was just the most heart-warming event. I did wonder what would happen when you had all sorts of animals under one, albeit religious, roof, but it all went very smoothly.
Yogi sat next to a very well behaved spaniel, who had brought her owners all the way from Cardiff, and was rather intrigued by the cats in carry cases, but thankfully more interested in the delicious treats cleverly offered to coincide with the actual blessing (see pic).
Of course, Sebastian, the little Shetland Ambassador from The Society for the Welfare of Horses and Ponies will be there again tomorrow to greet you all and the blessing will celebrate the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, Patron Saint of Animals, and which is now also celebrated as World Animal Day.
I am hugely proud to be an ambassador for World Animal Day which was celebrated yesterday, but as I continue to remind everyone, we must respect and care for our animals each and every day. And that’s all animals, not just pets.
After tomorrow’s Pet Blessing there will be refreshments for humans and their pets at the Church and the famous Skirrid Inn is just a short walk, should you need something stronger, or indeed a lovely lunch. All creatures great, small and medium sized are most welcome, at the service and the pub.
So whether your four legged friend needs to be blessed or not, I highly recommend supporting the service. There is an easy access path to the church and if you need any further information please don’t hesitate to contact Sian on 01873 890532.
Bonkers Conkers
Conker season is upon us, although apparently one in six schools have banned the game being played in their grounds due to health and safety issues. Other schools insist on goggles and gloves being used, and one teacher told me, “It is not the actual game of conkers that we deem to be dangerous, but the children hitting each other over the head with conkers.”
Call me old fashioned, but surely that is a discipline issue, not a health and safety one?
Some people believe conkers can be used to keep spiders out of the house. Not by hitting them with the large shiny brown seeds, but just by placing them in corners of the room and/or on windowsills. The conkers emit a gas which is supposed to deter spiders.
But how’s this for an original use for conkers – for washing. Conkers contain saponin, the same soap-like substance as soap nuts, and the latest hype is that they’re a more sustainable alternative to soap nuts, which are flown to us from half-way around the world.
Most of us will have access to copious amounts of conkers too – just don’t confuse horse chestnuts (conkers) with sweet (edible) chestnuts. Or more importantly don’t eat conkers thinking they are sweet chestnuts – do your homework if you’re not sure of the difference.
To make a laundry liquid, smash the conkers into pieces with a hammer, much easier than trying to cut them up as some recipes suggest. I would just start with a good handful – 6-8 and see what you think of the result.
Cover the pieces with water and leave to steep for at least 30 minutes or preferably over night. Strain the yellowish liquid and simply use as laundry liquid, in your machine or for handwashing. Some recipes advise cutting the conkers into quarters and just put them in a small cotton bag in with their laundry, like you would with soapnuts.
Apparently the conker liquid is particularly good for whites and fluffy towels and has a lovely woodland-esque smell.
In the numerous reviews you can find online, some people prefer to use the conker soap to wash their hands and you can add a few drops of essential oil to the soap for a scented version. You can freeze the smashed bit of conker to store to make the soapy stuff through the winter, and I suppose if all else fails, or your get bored with your making your own soap, you can chuck out those bits for the squirrels.
Christmas Conkers
Having some conker-chat with a friend last week, and she said her grandchildren collected them last year, dried them, sprayed them and used them as Christmas tree decorations, whilst she made a slightly more ‘grown up’ wreath (see pic).
Clever Conkers
And did you know that conkers can help fix sprains and bruises? It is believed that horse chestnut is so named because its seeds were once used to treat ailments in horses.
The Latin name for horse chestnut is Aesculus hippocastanum, and the Aescin they contain can be extracted and used for anti-inflammatory effects. It is also an effective remedy for sprains and bruises for humans.
The horse chestnut oil offered by Aromatic Skin Care is a macerated oil that is especially produced for them by a grower in the Welsh Borders, where he has been growing herbs organically for 25 years.
It is said to relieve sprains and swelling, relieve heavy tired legs, and stimulate blood circulation. For more details go to www.aromantic.co.uk
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