Thank You 2021, Welcome 2022 & Bird Tree-ts

Taken from Lynne’s weekly column ‘Green Scene’ for the Western Mail
1^st January 2022

Thank You 2021

After a deliciously peaceful Christmas, I thought I’d indulge in a bit of reflection.  At this time of year my brother always looks back over ‘his’ year and sums it up in three words.  I can’t repeat the three he used for 2021 but mine would be COVID, Grief and College.

COVID knocked me for six at the end of February and long COVID left the handbrake on a few notches for the rest of the year without a doubt.  Sadly, it will of course have left an indelible mark on a lot of families.

At the end of March my two little pet pigs passed over to the big pig-sty in the sky and I still can’t fully connect with that period or the loss. It’s just too painful.  They were brother and sister, I watched both of them come into the world and wasn’t ready for them to leave – ever.  Grief is like glitter, once spilled you never quite get rid of it all and it can turn up in the most unexpected places.  I always used to put a Christmas tree in their field, and it’s those little memories that trigger the reflection of grief-glitter.

The thing with animals is that although you only get them for a part of your life, they give their whole lives to you.  Frank and Edna were such a huge part of my life for 12 years – and also part of a lot of other people’s lives too.  They had lots of regular visitors, some travelling from as far as Cardiff – and to their delight always with equal amounts of fussing and food.

And my third word of 2021 is ‘college’.  A return to college surprised me, and most people who know me.  It was a brave thing to do.  I am not a fan of that environment and didn’t go very often 40 years ago – but I’m really glad that I overcame a long list of reasons not to go this time.  It has been a steep learning curve, and a hairpin bend in places, but I have loved learning the anatomy and physiology and nutrition side of it all and have even managed to pass five exams – despite a menopausal memory.

I just have the final section of practical tuition and practice to go and will qualify as a personal trainer in April.

My own fitness journey has taught me so much over the years and to then have the ‘proper’ knowledge on top of that has helped with my own health and nutrition immensely.  The menopause left me struggling to find the motivation to keep going, let alone keep fit.  COVID left me struggling to find the energy to do either.  It’s been frustrating and tedious to wade through it all but has added to my understanding of the psychological aspects of improving health.  Whilst mental health is so fragile and topical at the moment (and long overdue), there is no avoiding the correlation between exercise – or just ‘movement’ – and improved mood.  And yet, taking any steps to address that can seem impossible when you feel low and lethargic.

My gardening career has meant that I am no stranger to tiredness and I have often made myself ill as a result of training on top of a solid physical workload.  I have also been ‘bent out of shape’ just because I’m too tired to train.  But now I realise and appreciate how much being outdoors and ‘moving’ has definitely helped my own mental health over the years.

Fresh air is still one of the few things that hasn’t been banned, taxed or causes offence.  Make the most of it while it stays that way.

Welcome 2022

I have had several ‘alternative’ ways to celebrate a new year over the years.  Starting on the Millennium, and for 10 years after that, I used to walk to the top of a mountain, whatever the weather, to watch the new year come in at midnight.  Tippy, Yogi’s predecessor loved our magical outings but Yogi hates fireworks, so that tradition ended in respect for her.

Another favourite way to celebrate (anything), is to collect a ‘suitable’ branch’ from a walk and stick it in a pot or in the ground. Then write wishes, notes of gratitude and intentions on to little pieces of paper (it can be special paper, or cut into shapes) hole punch, add ribbon and tie on to the branch.  I then cut small squares of material and put a little bit of tobacco into each one before tying them up in to little parcels and tying onto the ‘Wish Branch’.  The whole lot then goes onto a bonfire and all the wishes, hopes, gratitude and tobacco offerings are taken up into the sky with the smoke.

Obviously you can adapt this little ritual to suit yourself and your environment.  Be creative, be thankful and be open to a wonderful 2022.

Bird Tree-ts

I always take my Christmas tree and decorations down before the end of December, as I like to start the New Year ‘nice and tidy’ and with Christmas having left the building.

Every year I up-cycle my tree by putting it back up outside, where I decorate it with food for the birds.  It means they benefit from it, as they love having the cover when they eat, and I continue to enjoy it and them well into the new year too.  The only word of caution is it might not be such good idea if you have cats, as they tend to utilise the ‘cover’ aspect too, which can prove disastrous for our feathered friends.

Once outside, you can decorate the tree with fruit on a string, open pine cones filled with fat or suet and/or shop-bought fat balls.

This year I bought some grapes and blackberries from the reduced section of the supermarket and threaded them onto thin wire to make fruity garlands.  I used monkey nuts, apple slices and bread crusts to do the same.  And made a star with the end crust.  As you do.

Make sure that you place the tree away from dogs though as grapes and fat balls are not good for them.  Or alternatively just use foods that won’t hurt your dog should they manage to snaffle them.  If you don’t have a tree to up-cycle you can still use your homemade fruity garlands to hang from a tree or bird feeding station in your garden or even the washing line.