Taken from Lynne’s weekly column ‘Green Scene’ for the Western Mail
2nd January 2021
Goodbye 2020
So, in the last week of 2020 Storm Belle blew through with the wrath and wrecking ability of a menopausal woman, we had floods, snow and beautiful blue skies and sunshine.
Pretty much sums up the year; a year which reminded me that really ‘anything can happen’. Who on earth could have predicted 2020 unfolding the way it did and I wonder where we will all be this time next year.
Not for the first time, I tip my hat to nature and the great outdoors for providing much needed respite and reassurance, it really is the ‘Natural Health Service.’
I’m sure New Year Resolutions will look a bit different this weekend and 2021 Year Planners are probably still rolled up in a sleeve of nervousness.
And on the subject of nervousness, I think it is more to do with the passing years than a pandemic, but I recently realised that I have been slowly slipping into a ‘fear furrow’, subconsciously fretting and expecting the worst outcome from every event.
Trust me, it’s not helpful when you work outdoors with machinery and on slippery paths, steps and banks, turning everything into a ‘danger zone’.
I am at the stage of life where I’m not sure if I’m in danger or I am the danger.
A good, and recent, example is being totally convinced that my indictors were broken on the truck when they wouldn’t switch off. I was already bemoaning the fact that apart from being dangerous – having an indicator stuck on flashing left – I now had to find time to take it to the garage, be without a vehicle, would have another bill and so on. And then my wipers came on, even though it wasn’t raining. Oh no – another problem – obviously connected and probably an enormous electrical problem.
And then I realised that despite having had the truck for three years (and the exact same model for five years before that), I was trying to turn the indictors off with the wiper stalk.
Thankfully I have retained my sense of humour and the ability to laugh at myself.
Be More Tree
I often think that we need to be more like trees. Just yield in the storms, be confident enough to let go of things (as they do in the autumn), be happy to rest in the winter months, blossom cheerfully in the spring and flourish in the summer months.
Having worked in and with nature for nearly 40 years, I feel it has so much to teach us, and gardening in particular teaches so much more than horticulture. We learn the importance of patience and tenacity, how to deal with disappointment and failure, and of course the joys of ‘reaping what you sow’.
And talking, or typing, about trees, I have once again recycled my ‘real’ Christmas tree. (I also recycle all my veggie peelings as you can see. My pet pigs love them.)
I always take my tree down soon after Christmas and reinstate it in the garden for the birds. Obviously I re-dress it too. All my indoor decorations go back in the attic and I adorn it outdoors with bird feeders, fat balls and garlands of dried fruit and popcorn (no salt or sugar please) for the birds to enjoy.
Health is Wealth
So, collaborating with whatever 2021 has in store for us, and respecting whatever restrictions are in place, I encourage you all to spend more time observing nature – through the window if you have to – but ideally outdoors and by growing something. I guarantee that by doing so, you’ll grow too.
You don’t have to wait for the weather to improve – get sowing and growing on windowsills indoors, especially if you have a conservatory. I am growing micro greens, sprouting seeds and herbs on my windowsills all of which are good for you and you don’t need many added to a dish to make a great difference. Micro greens test me a bit – some work and others don’t but sprouting seeds is easy, and there are great kits available to make it even easier. The sprouted seeds are great added to salads, soups, stews and scrambled eggs. And herbs lift every dish, of course. The pots of herbs from supermarkets are forced to provide top growth at the expense of undeveloped roots. Often they won’t come back once they’ve been cut, as the root system isn’t strong enough to produce new top growth. It’s best to grow herbs like basil and coriander from seed and when you cut it it’ll come again. If you have mint in the garden, dig a bit up, pot it and grow it as a houseplant over the winter. You can add the leaves to dishes and drinks and it just smells great anyway.
And please don’t get despondent if things don’t turn out as planned, or as seen on Gardeners’ World. It’s so important to keep trying, and maybe trying a different way, or different seeds.
I have a great screen saver, from the great Antony Robbins, and installed after my indicator and wiper episode, which reads, “Stop being afraid of what could go wrong. Start being excited about what can go right.”
It’s a great mantra to go into the New Year with. And whilst I wish you all a very Happy New Year, more importantly, I wish you all a very healthy one. It is health – mental, emotional and physical – that is the real wealth.
ta xxx