Taken from Lynne’s weekly column ‘Green Scene’ for the Western Mail
3rd December 2022
Thermal Image
Having tried out a huge range of thermal clothing over the years, in an attempt to make working outdoors during the winter months more bearable, I have finally settled on the silk thermal underwear from PATRA Silk. Their range has been extended considerably since I first tried them and now includes pure silk and bamboo options, although I still prefer the original Silk Thermals.
Apart from being much more affordable than similar items in Merino wool, they are very ‘thin’ and lightweight and can be worn under my normal work-wear without feeling too snug or bulky.
I can also recommend the silk glove liners and socks, which can be worn under gloves and socks, respectively for much appreciated added warmth. More details at patra.com
Fascinating Fascia
Another big thank you to the staff and fellow students at Usk Fitness College for getting me through my most recent course and ensuring I qualified in sports massage. Together with my personal training and Pilates qualifications (also gained at www.coleggwent.ac.uk/campuses/usk), it means – as my brother pointed out – that I can now ‘bend ‘em and mend ‘em’.
As always, I thoroughly enjoyed the whole learning process and became totally fascinated by fascia. Basically, fascia is a thin casing of connective tissue that surrounds and holds every organ, blood vessel, bone, nerve fibre and muscle in place. As well as providing internal structure, fascia has nerves that make it almost as sensitive as skin. So many ‘ailments’ are caused by ‘disrupted’ fascia – it truly is fascinating. Even breathing, and apparently snoring, can be improved or alleviated by freeing up the fascia around the ribcage. I must admit, the more I learn the more I wonder how we function knowing so little about our bodies – and minds.
The lads in work are already benefitting from released ‘trigger points’ and Yogi is enjoying a ‘maintenance massage’ morning and evening. Along with regular hydrotherapy, it’s definitely keeping her flexible and mobile in this colder weather.
Kissing Balls
Whilst clearing gardens and ‘putting them to bed’ for the winter, I always salvage some seed-heads and spent flower heads to use for Christmas decorations. I have hydrangea flower-heads, hypericum berries and even some of my old gypsophila drying off in the shed to use in swags, wreaths and other Christmas arrangements. The gyp will need to be sprayed silver (or gold) but the deep burgundy hydrangeas and hypericum berries will be great ‘au naturel’. You can also collect and use fir cones and the colourful berries of Old Man’s Beard – and anything that dries well.
I’ll also be making a couple of ‘Kissing Balls’ for friends this year. Credited with a certain magical appeal in the 18th Century, folklore states that anyone standing under a Kissing Ball, brightly trimmed with evergreens, ribbons, ornaments and of course a sprig of mistletoe, cannot refuse to be kissed. Simply use a styrofoam globe as a base, and add your greenery, foliage and other decorations as you would for a traditional wreath or table decoration. Alternatively make a fragrant herbal version by using rosemary, thyme, dried lavender stems, bay and sage.
Web Sites
Did you know that tinsel was introduced as a tree decoration to mimic spider webs that adorned outdoor trees? It is still considered lucky if you see a cobweb on Christmas Day. There will be no shortage of luck in my cottage if that’s the case.
Mistletoe (Viscum album), comes from the Anglo-Saxon word misteltan, literally meaning “little dung twig”, because the plant spreads though bird droppings deposited on small branches.
Holly and ivy have been used to decorate homes since the 9th century because they symbolise everlasting life. In Pagan times, holly was thought to be a male plant and ivy a female plant and an old tradition stated that if the holly was brought in first, then the man of the house would be the master for the next year, but if the ivy was brought in first, then the woman would rule for the next 12 months.
Pines and Needles
Polls reveal that this is the most popular weekend for putting up the Christmas tree for most of us.
If you are displaying a cut ‘real’ tree indoors, always choose one before it is netted (and be mindful of how you dispose of the netting – it is a nightmare for wildlife) so you can check it is a good shape and not already dropping its needles. A lot of Christmas trees are cut in October and kept in cold storage to enable suppliers to keep up with demand, so it’s just possible a few won’t have been stored properly and will be shedding needles before you get it home.
Once home, remove the net and let your tree ‘relax’ somewhere cool and dry before bringing it into the house. Cut an inch or two off the base of the truck and stand in water to let it drink. Bringing it straight into a hot house can encourage it to ‘throw off it’s needles’, just as you would throw off your coat.
If at all possible stand your tree in water to display too, but obviously it must be safe and secure. The last thing you want is it falling over and spilling the water everywhere. A 6ft tree will get through up to 2 pints of water a day, so be prepared to keep it topped up to keep the needles in the best health. Some people use lemonade to ‘feed’ their tree and apparently sugar in the water will help too – and that’s even more reason to make sure it doesn’t get knocked over.
There have been various trends for non-real Christmas trees over the years. Popular tree colours have included black, blue and even pink; a few years ago wooden trees were all the rage – a little ironic really – and most recently there was a market for upside-down trees displayed from the ceilings. This year, ‘half trees’ are apparently popular – halved length ways, so they can fit flat against a wall, great for smaller rooms. ‘Christmas Central’ predicts that, ‘The 2022 Pantone Colour of the Year is “Very Peri,” a dusky purple with blue-grey undertones. This opens the door for purple Christmas ornaments in all shades of the spectrum, from romantic lavender to playful plums to deep amethyst and eggplant. Purple ornaments also pop on green or flocked trees.”
To be honest, I’m not even sure what half of that means. Thank goodness for spider’s webs.
The wife said if you can cure my snoring you will be her friend for life..lol. Congrats on the new qualifications