Taken from Lynne’s weekly column ‘Green Scene’ for the Western Mail
1st November 2025
Spooky Pig
Whilst November 1st is well-known as All Saints Day, within Celtic traditions it was always celebrated as ‘the first day of winter’. Known during the medieval period as Calan Gaeaf, it was a traditional harvest festival when the gathering of the harvests and the majority or the farming tasks were complete, and therefore celebrated
Whilst last night (31st October) is now more commonly celebrated as Halloween, in Wales it would have been Nos Calan Gaeaf which was celebrated. And like Halloween – or All-Hallows Eve – it was said that the veil between the living and the dead was at it’s thinnest and that the spirits were able to roam freely. In Wales it was believed that the ghosts of the dead were to be seen at midnight on every stile across the land. In different parts of Wales these ghosts took on different characters but two of the most common were the Ladi Wen (White Lady) and, more commonly in North Wales, the tail-less black sow (hwch ddu gwta). Telling people this brought me much pleasure when I had my two little black pet pigs.
One of the more chilling traditions involved villagers dancing around a bonfire, where each person would mark a stone with their name and place it in the fire. The belief was that if a stone was missing the next morning, the person it belonged to would face misfortune or even death within the year.
As well as gathering neighbours together to celebrate and thank them for helping with the harvest, and honouring the arrival of winter, celebrations included trying to appease the supernatural world.
Beginning on 31st October and continue into the following day, meals would often be taken in silence to honour the dead who were thought to also be at the table. Feasts would also be held around a bonfire with traditional dishes including Cawl, Welsh rarebit and Bara brith, being shared and enjoyed.
Whether or not you were out trick or treating (or ‘Trickle Treating’ as my brother and I thought it was called when we were kids – and never told otherwise by our amused parents) there are numerous ideas on how to celebrate the first day of winter online – and still time to do it.
Shhhhhhhhhh
Of course, hot on the heels of Halloween comes Bonfire Night, which is becoming more popularly known as Fireworks Night. For years and years I struggled to keep Yogi calm at this time of year but ‘deafness in her dotage’ has this one advantage. Previously, I did find that a Thunder Jacket helped, as did relaxing music, ironically played quite loudly!
I am still a great advocator for silent fireworks. They are becoming more readily available, but until they become more commonplace (or even mandatory), please be respectful of animals, wildlife, the elderly and anyone or thing that may be frightened by the ever-louder bangs and cracks of fireworks.
The RSPCA revealed that a recent survey showed that the desire for quiet fireworks and alternatives is growing quickly. Apparently over 90% of Brits now want more thoughtful alternatives to fireworks – things like lasers, drones, or silent/quiet fireworks. Although there are no truly silent fireworks, the low noise alternatives can reduce the impact and fear felt by both people and animals that traditional fireworks often cause. If you are planning a display at home – no matter how quick or small, please let neighbours know so they will be aware and can make necessary provisions for their pets or any vulnerable relatives. And please keep it to just the 5th if you can.
Oh, and please don’t forget check the base of your bonfire for sleepy hedgehogs – and even little bunnies – that may be hibernating and hiding respectively.
Flower Power
When you think of plants that are flowering now, not many people will realise that ivy is amongst them. Flowering from September through to the end of November, the blooms are also highly scented and visited en mass by many pollinators. More than 140 species of insect and 17 species of bird feed on ivy in Britain, and countless others appreciate its evergreen shelter.
On a sunny day, you may even see a Red Admiral making the most of the late food source, although most of the diners will be bees – especially the aptly named ‘ivy bee’ which was first recorded in the UK in 2001. As the name suggests, it feeds mainly on the nectar of ivy flowers and can be seen in now when the plant is in bloom. On a warm autumn day you will probably notice a drift of ivy flowers by the buzz, as it is so popular.
Once the flowers have finished blooming, ivy produces black berries that become a vital food source for birds in the spring. It may not be the most popular plant of the gardener, but it certainly is with wildlife.
So if you are tidying up outside and ‘putting your garden to bed for winter’, then bear in mind that ‘overgrown’ ivy – that still has it’s flowers – on walls and fences will still be providing essential food for wildlife for a while.
Present Thoughts
I have just ordered new springs for my, and my brother’s, secateurs.
We both now use the fantastic Okasune, and the funny thing is that I bought his for him for Christmas about 40 years after my dad bought me my first pair of Felco’s as a Christmas present. Felco’s used to be the Rolls Royce of secateurs and I still remember the pride I felt in having my very own first pair.
But since I discovered the Okasune ones a few years ago, I would never use anything else. The Okasune secateurs are Japanese-made and are just wonderfully sharp and light. They also make the most satisfying and hard-to-describe ‘clunk’ every time you use them. And their red and white handles have meant that I have been able to rescue mine from an accidental throw onto the compost heap more than once.
As has obviously become a bit of a tradition in our family, good secateurs make a great present for the keen gardener and I would even go as far as to say that ‘bad’ secateurs are more than likely to prevent any gardener from becoming a ‘keen’ one. I use the Okasune 101’s which are the smallest and I bought the 103’s for my brother.
Okasune also offer snips and shears made from the same quality steel, and holsters to keep them all in. I’m sure that I have shared that one of my client’s bought her husband the secateurs on my recommendation but decided he didn’t need the holster for them. Consequently, he had them in the back pocket of his jeans when jumping into the driver’s seat of his recently refurbished MGBT – and they ripped the leather seat. That was much more expensive than a holster.
Based nice and locally-ish in Hereford you can see their products at www.okatsune.co.uk or call 01981 590 224.
I also noticed that I have just missed out sharing their special offer that ran until Halloween. I’m sure that if you ask nicely, they might even be ‘sharp enough’ to ‘treat’ you still.
And finally, I am always heartened by the fabulous wildlife photos from various competitions, you can see the latest from Nikon here: www.comedywildlifephoto.com
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