Taken from Lynne’s weekly column ‘Green Scene’ for the Western Mail
1st October 2022
October Already
The way time has flown by this year reminded me of the saying, “When you are a kid, it feels as though there are 24 months between Christmases. When you are an adult it feels as though there are only 6.”
St Francis Day is on the 4th (Tuesday) and, before bird migration was fully understood, it was thought that swallows flew to the bottom of ponds to hibernate through the winter on this day.
The notion probably has its origins in the fact that swallows skim the surface of ponds to catch insects and so hibernating below the surface seemed a logical explanation for their sudden disappearance.
Funny how if you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.
That Extra Mile
Every now and then in these fractious times, some kind act restores my faith in humans and the future. Yogi has been a customer of Honey’s Real Dog Food for a couple of months and, as it is delivered frozen, it arrives via an overnight delivery service called APC Overnight, based in Cwmbran. The driver, Wayne Downs, parks at the end of my narrow, anti-social lane and carries the box all the way to the cottage, rather than leaving it at the end of the lane and calling me, or trying to negotiate the lane in his van and making us both miserable.
He is always cheerful, and insists the walk ‘does him good’. Going that extra mile (although the lane is not a mile, I hasten to add) means the world to me as a customer, and also means that Yogi’s food gets to the freezer whilst still frozen. Thank you Wayne.
More details of APC Overnight deliveries at www.bridgetimegroup.com Their mission statement is “Big enough to cope. Small enough to care.” And I’ll vouch for that.
Raw Material
Yogi has gone back onto a raw food diet ever since I read ‘Forever Dog’. She was actually being fed raw food from the age of 7 to about 11 but I noticed in the latter few months she was putting weight on and was sometimes sick, bring up little bits of bone. The vet said that raw food can be hard for older dogs to digest and also has a very high fat content – ideal for when Yogi was younger and very active, but like us all, she has slowed down as she has aged.
I put her onto Forthglade Senior for a year or so but then read again about the benefits of raw food and did some more research. I found Honey’s. www.honeysrealdogfood.com
The founder, Jonathan Self, is actually a vegan but still wanted the best possible quality food for his dogs. A great motivator and even greater commitment.
After explaining the fat content of different meats, reassuring me that bones are ground down to avoid irritation, and asking about Yogi’s lifestyle, one of his team put a proposed diet plan together for Yogi. It has made the world of difference to her and I highly recommend getting in touch with the team to see if raw food would be a good option for your dog.
Hippocrates, the father of medicine said, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”. Although the quote is thousands of years old, the importance of healthy eating and how the nutrients in various foods have healing properties is still relevant. For us and our four-legged friends.
A New Leaf
Thanks to fellow outdoors-lover, Jill Higginson, here’s a fantastic little autumn project for you lovely readers.
Jill simply collected a variety of fallen autumn leaves, whilst dry, and created this beautiful ‘autumn rose’ which can be displayed in a small vase.
I tried it and found the large chestnut leaves are definitely the best to wrap around as the final layer.
So simple and yet so beautiful.
Please Bee There
It’s been a tough year for our bees and pollinators as blooms and flower-heads faded far more quickly than usual in the unusual summer heat wave. Honeybees also had extra chores to do in the hive in order to manage the temperature inside as temperatures outside soared. The honeybee’s ability to manage their environment is impressive to say the least.
On hot days they form groups, gathering together to fan their wings to draw the outside air in and up and over the outer combs and then down through the middle of the hive. This creates cooling airflows through the hive moving the moist, warm air from the centre of the hive down over the brood and then out of the hive to keep it cool.
If that’s not impressive enough, as the hive can contain in excess of 40,000 bees, it can get crowded, so to give the air more room to circulate, many of the worker bees hang about on the outside of the hive. This is called ‘bearding’, as they often look like a beard as they literally ‘hang about’ en mass. It is usually the younger bees that are sent out while their older sisters do all the fanning and ‘air control’ inside. Sound familiar?
When the temperature and humidity has reached the required levels, often not before dusk, all the bees will have moved back inside to get on with their various tasks on a ‘late shift’.
Aware of the challenges our bees are constantly facing, the rather wonderful Frances Pemberton is kindly opening her ‘enchanted paradise’ at Trostrey Lodge, Bettws Newydd, Usk on the 15th and 16th October from 12 noon until 3.00 pm each day, with all the proceeds Bees for Development in Monmouth.
The postcode is NP15 IJT and then simply follow the yellow signs that say “BEES”.
There is plenty of field-parking and good access to the Usk Valley river footpath, so you can take your four legged friends and incorporate a beautiful autumnal dog walk too.
Frances has a wonderful garden, which she modestly describes as, ‘somewhat wild now, though cultivated with much love’. That is evident and I’m sure you will also get a few clever ideas for your own garden.
The weekend will include music, honey, hops, and seed packets galore … some home grown, some Heritage seeds, some Franchi Italian seeds, and other donated options. Do feel free to bring your own to donate too. There will be sunflower heads for the birds and simple tea and cake for the ‘uprights’. I love the order that Frances put that in. Priorities.
You can pick up bay leaves to deter the moths in your wardrobe, acorns from an ancient oak tree to plant at your leisure, and various shaggy poppy seed to scatter at speed. Pick quinces for jelly, enjoy ‘Art on a Postcard’ and buy a watercolour in aid of the Ukraine. I know there will be much more too – including fascinating conversations, interesting people, endless ‘swapped’ gardening tips and stories and that fabulous ‘feel good’ feeling that is just part of any visit to Trostery Lodge.
I will be there sometime over the weekend (15th/16th Oct) and hope to see you there.
I don’t think my weekend would be the same without your insight, hints and tips Lynne. Enjoy your weekend.