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Solstice spice

As the quiet winter slows to a stop, let’s allow ourselves to rest in the darkness of deep belonging. On the longest night we teeter on the axis between shadow and glimmer, death and rebirth. The weak sun snuffs out, leaving a wisp of smoke against the velvety sky. In the dark night the wheel turns, easing us gently forward, as the new crescent moon rises leading us through the crack of light into the dawn.

At this time of year we draw on the familiarity of traditions to soothe and enchant our children -and inner children. Evergreens sparkle with strings of lights, feasting, gratitude and gifts. We can delight our senses with warm winter spices – warming ginger in the form of decorated gingerbread; distinctive cinnamon (with antibacterial, anti fungal and anti-viral properties); cloves (antimicrobial and antioxidant); peppery allspice in the form of leaves and berries; mellow vanilla, calming cardamom and aromatic nutmeg. In Victorian times spices were expensive and highly prized, so were only used at Christmas, creating the association that we have today in our seasonal food and drink. These flavours from afar symbolise wealth, and we can bring them to our table for abundance and sumptuous flavours, along with lemon and orange zest. Interestingly spices can also aid in the preservation of food, useful in the days before cold storage. Many of them are also great for warding off winter illnesses along with giving us a boost and helping to aid a speedy recovery from colds and flu.

There’s a natural urge to round off the year with feasting and social occasions. So when the days are at their shortest, light a fire and gather with friends to tell stories, share treats and raise a song. Connect in with the turning of the year and the promise of the returning of the light. 

When you need a quiet moment of solitude, go outside on a clear night (yes there will be one!) and look up at the stars in all their magnitude.  Give yourself a moment of quiet transition to recalibrate. With Saturn, Neptune, Pluto, Jupiter and Uranus all coming into important alignments, there may be some changes ahead by the spring.

More about spices and a link to tasty christmas treats:

https://www.woodlands.co.uk/blog/flora-and-fauna/spicing-up-christmas

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/vegan-cinnamon-buns

And here are some lovely ways to honour the winter solstice, plus an album to set the scene:

https://thesmallestlight.co.uk/how-to-celebrate-winter-solstice/

https://www.shazam.com/en-gb/album/271039469/vigil-keeping

I am an artist, musician and orchardist living on the Gower Peninsula. I am writing this blog to share with others the power and joy we can feel as we immerse ourselves in nature recovery.  By returning to our mother earth, I believe this will lead us forward into a more sustainable way of living.  Self care and community care are vital to develop our resilience and then from a more grounded base we can create the world we want to see, starting with small and possible actions. 

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All photos and text are the copyright of Witchhazel Wildwood unless otherwise stated.

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Winter Resting

We have truly arrived into the winter dark and for me that’s a time to hunker down.  Each season has a different energetic quality, and winter is the quiet time when nature returns to the ground.  Many trees slow their growth, their beautiful dark leafless silhouettes in the evening light.  Herbaceous plants die back down to their roots, nestled in the damp earth, while the leaf matter forms a soft carpet to protect the soil over winter, gradually being broken down by the myriad soil organisms, to create nutrition so the lifeforce of the earth can rise again in the spring.

We too can return to ground during this season, slowing down and keeping warm with the lighting low.  Natural candlelight is a gentle reflection of the soft winter sunlight and is restful for our eyes and our soul.  I like to put up strings of sparkly fairy lights too, to add a sense of joy and beauty over the dark days.

It’s important to find some restful body-centred time, long candlelit baths soaking in your favourite oils and herbs or hot chocolate in a comfy chair with a cosy blanket and a good book. 

Restorative yoga is a lovely gentle activity at this time.  The poses are long and slow, allowing our body time to sink into its own peaceful place and really let go.  Use plenty of props – cushions and blankets, to enable the body to feel supported, held and safe, as this encourages the parasympathetic nervous system to find its way to a deep and nurturing rest.  In this way we can connect with the rooted energy, creating a container where winter dreams can incubate.

As in nature, now is a good time to take in good wholesome food and comforting winter carbs, such as delicious winter stews with root vegetables, barley and oats.  Storing our nutrients deep in our bones, like tree roots, will keep us fed through the long dark time. 

Here is a link to some delicious barley recipes from regenerative agriculture farm Brow Farm in Lancashire:

https://browfarm.co.uk/pages/recipes-with-our-crops-barley-recipes

To bring you into a restful space, this is a link to a restorative yoga video session, with Amanda Lawford, Inspire Movement Coaching:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4NvLAwZEhM

And finally, to inspire you with some quiet, creative time, here’s  a link to Kasia Avery’s lovely free December journalling series:

https://www.everything-art.com/p/care-december25

I am an artist, musician and orchardist living on the Gower Peninsula. I am writing this blog to share with others the power and joy we can feel as we immerse ourselves in nature recovery.  By returning to our mother earth, I believe this will lead us forward into a more sustainable way of living.  Self care and community care are vital to develop our resilience and then from a more grounded base we can create the world we want to see, starting with small and possible actions. 

If you enjoyed this, please like and share. Click below to subscribe for free to my regular posts (normally every few weeks). You can unsubscribe at any time.

All photos and text are the copyright of Witchhazel Wildwood unless otherwise stated.

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Weird and Wonderful Medlars

I recently found an exciting medlar recipe I wanted to try, so I went harvesting in our community forest garden and gathered these from a young ‘Nottingham Medlar’ tree (Mespilus germanica ‘Nottingham’), which had a good crop this year. Medlar trees are very easy to grow and they start to produce fruit within a couple of years. The medlar fruit are normally picked at this time in November after the first frost but I think this year I should have picked them maybe a week or two sooner before they ripened on the tree – some of them where already quite juicy and then when I ‘bletted’ them they were a bit over-ripe. Bletting just means you space them out on a tray somewhere cool and let them soften for a few days. In the photo these have been bletted for about 5 days, and you can see they have just a little wrinkling to the skin, but some are a bit darker than others.   

To prepare the fruit, I cooked them in a little water for about 10 minutes and then squeezed out the pulp and pushed it through a sieve. I was then ready to make an adaption of Mark Diacono’s fabulous recipe for Medlar Sticky Toffee Pudding (see link below). My adjustments for a vegan version were as follows – I swapped out the butter for vegan spread. I also removed the eggs and added an extra teaspoon of baking powder, plus some plant milk. I swirled vegan cream over the hot pudding before serving.   If you can find some medlars, I recommend you give this pudding a try – comforting and delicious!

https://www.otterfarm.co.uk/medlar-sticky-toffee-pudding/   (Mark Diacono in Devon)

Added note: don’t eat the medlar seeds, they contain hydrogen cyanide (as do the seeds of apples and cherries!). Dogs should also not eat the seeds, although the flesh of medlar fruit is not known to be harmful.

I am an artist, musician and orchardist living on the Gower Peninsula. I am writing this blog to share with others the power and joy we can feel as we immerse ourselves in nature recovery.  By returning to our mother earth, I believe this will lead us forward into a more sustainable way of living.  Self care and community care are vital to develop our resilience and then from a more grounded base we can create the world we want to see, starting with small and possible actions.

If you enjoyed this, please like and share. Click below to subscribe for free to my regular posts (normally every few weeks). You can unsubscribe at any time.

All photos and text are the copyright of Witchhazel Wildwood unless otherwise stated.

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Meeting my Ancestors in the Orchard

Night comes early and I step out into the dusky chill. Wispy clouds scud across the moon and an owl calls.  The dark silhouette of the ash tree reaches down to touch my hair as I pass.

This Samhain I am greeting my beloved dead, the newly departed spirit of my mother. This has not been an easy grief. It was heartbreaking moving her into a nursing home where she died in February this year.  It’s hard for me and her to find forgiveness for that.

So I come to the community orchard to make my peace and honour her. The formerly neglected fruit trees have recently taken on a new lease of life as the setting for a memorial garden. A dedicated group carried out bramble clearing, sowed wildflowers and created areas to put plaques and natural offerings such as painted stones and carved wood. 

The gently weaving path takes me past the thoughtfully placed dedications that have appeared over the summer. I am carrying my offering – a piece of lovingly smoothed wood and I place it down with tears and gratitude, both to my mum for her life and to the community for this blessed space of connection.

The veils are thin on this All Hallows Eve. I hang candles in the trees and they bring a comforting light to the space. Apple trees are said to represent wisdom and immortality, standing amongst them helps me connect to the many layers of our world. I cut through an apple to reveal the star of pips and make my offering to the beloved spirits.  ‘May you never hunger’ spirals out with my breath, reminding me of the possibility for renewal that comes from making peace with death.

I am an artist, musician and orchardist living on the Gower Peninsula. I am writing this blog to share with others the power and joy we can feel as we immerse ourselves in nature recovery. By returning to our mother earth, I believe this will lead us forward into a more sustainable way of living. Self care and community care are vital to develop our resilience and then from a more grounded base we can create the world we want to see, starting with small and possible actions. 

If you enjoyed this, please like and share. Click below to subscribe for free to my regular posts (normally every few weeks). You can unsubscribe at any time.

    All photos and text are the copyright of Witchhazel Wildwood unless otherwise stated.

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    Wild Wellbeing – October 2025

    The changing colours of our inner landscape

    Autumn walks are the best.  I love the crunch underfoot, as I walk along the path by the river.  Stretching above me, the wooded hill is a myriad of changing colours.  The red, orange, yellow, green, brown leaves pile up at the side of the path, nestling a log dancing with delicate fungi.  As I pass a rocky outcrop, the last of the salty coastal sea-beet offers itself from its position at the high tide mark.  The pools on the estuary floor glint as the sun’s rays strike out from the clouds through a delicate sprinkling rain.  In front of me is the centrepiece, the luminous, shimmering rainbow arching over the valley and landing itself enticingly close  – this way lies the crock of gold!

    I started the day with anxiety, unable to see the gifts that the day had to offer me.  Yet now I am out walking in the weather, nature has carried me softly into the present.  There is so much to see on the earthly stage in front of me that the past or the future are no longer a concern.  My mood has completely shifted and the bright new day has cleared away my inner clouds and brought me a flood of ideas that I can’t wait to implement when I get home.   

    If you recognise this pattern, you may, like me, be sensitive to changes in atmospheric pressure – barometric sensitivity.  The gathering clouds can feel like they are pressing down on our heads and pinning us to the bed, causing depression, fatigue, stress and pain for some.   The mind stops functioning and any joy left in the day scurries into a dark corner.   Through the numbness, I have learnt to listen to the whisper which tells me to get myself out into nature.   This works every time – nature connection is the path we can step onto whenever we feel out of kilter, when the day deals us a bad hand or we are overwhelmed with life.  Our mood may feel dark, but putting one foot in front of the other, whether down the garden path, or through the park or wider landscape, we let the safe arms of mother earth lead us gently forward and into a bigger and more open world.  We are then creating an opportunity for the clouds to part and the light of the day to reflect back at us.  If we are lucky we may even stumble upon some unexpected treasure we can curl our fingers around to accompany us on our day.

    I am an artist, musician and orchardist living on the Gower Peninsula. I am writing this blog to share with others the power and joy we can feel as we immerse ourselves in nature recovery.  By returning to our mother earth, I believe this will lead us forward into a more sustainable way of living.  Self care and community care are vital to develop our resilience and then from a more grounded base we can create the world we want to see, starting with small and possible actions.

    If you enjoyed this, please like and share. Click below to subscribe for free to my regular posts (normally every few weeks). You can unsubscribe at any time.

    All photos and text are the copyright of Witchhazel Wildwood unless otherwise stated.

    0 CommentsLeave a comment