Taken from Lynne’s weekly column ‘Green Scene’ for the Western Mail
24th September 2022
Thank You, Eddie
Death has placed its hands on too many people that I loved, learned from and just held in high regard lately.
BBC rugby commentator Eddie Butler, falls into the two latter categories and was such a huge inspiration – on a professional and personal level. When I was very new to raising money and awareness for various charities, and which inevitably included public speaking, he was hugely supportive and helpful with words of wisdom and encouragement. I remember him telling me ‘Remember that you’ve been ‘chosen’ to speak, there will be a good reason for that. And above all else, always be yourself, then no one will ever be able to call you out.’
We often chatted about outdoorsy things when ‘working’ at a charity event together. He had a wonderful way of putting me at my ease before my presentation or speech by chatting to me about gardening or my beloved pigs. I always thought that was extremely generous of him. He contacted me with words of sympathy when I lost my piggy pair – and that was both generous and kind.
He had used pigs to clear his 4 acre woodland and was quite chuffed to share ‘a discovery’ with me one evening at a Charity Dinner.
He told me, “I think the pigs have also helped keep the foxes away from our chickens. We lost a couple of ex-battery hens to the fox before we had the pigs, so we replaced them with these really majestic Orpingtons; they’re posh beyond!
“We’ve got one battery hen left who churns out eggs by the dozen but the Orpingtons are still thinking about whether to grace us with an egg or not. They are quite happy just strutting around the place full of their own importance. But posh or not, the fox has left them all alone since we’ve had the pigs.”
After a bit of research, I found out that he was – not surprisingly – quite right. Pigs do deter foxes.
As well as being sharp, and a wonderful wordsmith, Eddie was a grafter. Often I would be at an event after a hard days work landscaping or gardening, and he knew just how hard it was.
He told me, “We had to change a lot and do a lot of digging out in our garden. The ground is quite hilly and we wanted to create flat areas for the children to use. I think they appreciated it; they spend a lot of time outdoors in the summer.”
And he also admitted to preferring to do battle on the rugby pitch than with Mother Nature, adding ‘At least there are rules in rugby’. Even the rugby posts he put up for his children were soon at 45 degrees after a good storm, and apparently ‘most things had to be done twice’ to get them right.
He talked a lot about his garden, sharing, “The garden is on the lower foothills of a mountain, so just 3” below the surface is base rock and we’ve got the notorious Monmouthshire clay soil as well, so it is a constant battle to get anything to grow. I tend to look around the garden at the beginning of the year and think ‘Oh God, I’ve got to wrestle with you again this spring’. We have lots of grass. I have yielded to grass. It’s clever stuff and will grow where nothing else will. I have definitely become a big fan of grass.”
Eddie also created raised beds to be able to grow his own veg, making good use of the chicken manure left by the previous chicken farmer. He had done his homework there too. “It’s definitely improved the soil fertility, though you have to be careful with poultry manure as it can be quite strong and burn tender plants. We’ve grown brilliant peas and runner beans and I’ve always been able to grow a good parsnip.” He added proudly. “We have just lifted a couple of Jerusalem Artichokes that had overwintered in the ground and they made brilliant soup, though I can see why the Americans regard them as weeds, I don’t think we’ll ever be able to get rid of them now.”
He told me, “Although it’s hard work, I do love my garden – though nothing will ever beat playing rugby. Not even commentating. It’s just not as exciting. Though I must admit live TV always keeps me on my toes – and my knuckles are always white around the microphone when Wales are involved.”
Thank you Eddie – and I hope the gardening is easier wherever you are now.
Another Fun Guy
Mushroom season is upon us and despite a bit of a slow start due to the dry weather, it is definitely in full swing now. Therefore it is also time to give my annual warning, ‘Please be careful what you eat.’
Last week a friend asked me which mushrooms were safe to pick – I replied ‘most things are safe to pick (there are exceptions) – it’s more important to know which one’s are safe to eat!’
I think the best book on mushroom hunting is still the one written by Daniel Butler – Fungi Forays. Added bonuses are that it is small enough to take with you on a foraging trip, or even a ‘lucky’ dog walk, and is wrapped in a durable plastic wallet to keep it clean and dry. It also includes a fold-out insert containing helpful ‘at-a-glance’ illustrations to help with quick identification out in the field – or woods.
I follow Daniel on Facebook and am always impressed with the photos of his mushroom hauls. A few weeks ago he found these two beauties and generously shared how to dry and store them.
You can also see the cauliflower fungi that I found on a Yogi walk, as a result of Daniel’s expert tuition (delicious fried in butter and garlic). It is also known as ‘Wood Cauliflower’ as it resembles a head of cauliflower. And although sometimes described as a ‘brain’ or ‘sea sponge’, I prefer the cauli reference.
The other photo shows why it’s important to take a container with you if there is the slightest chance of a ‘forage’. Otherwise a hard hat will have to do.
You can find out more about fungi – and Daniel – at www.fungiforays.co.uk
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