Grey Skies Over Bluebells

April Field Notes

April is the cruellest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain.
(T S Eliot, The Wasteland)

Anyone else feel like they’re floating in a bottomless whirlpool of drizzle? Who has the stats on how many days it hasn’t rained so far this year? I fear this may be the fate of the UK in the face of climate change. No wildfires raging or hurricanes tearing up the land, just endless, tick-infested rainfall, neither warm nor cold nor anything but grey. I know I shouldn’t complain. There are so many worse things going on around the world than a bit of rain, but Jesus Christ. How much more will there BE? I just want a little light in the sky. A kiss from the sun, a touch of warmth to dry the mud that seems to cake every inch of my body every time I leave the house…

On a lighter note, the first bluebells are blooming here in Hampshire. Olive and I have been on a flower frenzy, planting sunflower, cosmos and sweet pea seeds, and spotting all the other wildflowers opening up on our dog walks. Her current faves are the forget-me-nots and grape hyacinths.

April is also exciting because it’s PUMPKIN SOWING MONTH. If you been following me for a while, you’ll know I grew pumpkins for the first time last year in anticipation of autumn, my favourite season, and the festival of Samhain. I’ve been saving all our yoghurt pots and tin cans in order to have more vessels for seedlings, and I can’t wait to start sowing them in the next couple of weeks. We have a couple of new varieties to try this year, including a big white ‘polar bear’ pumpkin and some munchkin seeds I found at our local seed swap last month. This really is the stuff of life. 🧡

Away from the garden, I’ve been reading and writing a lot recently. Ideas are in emotion, emails are being ping-ponged back and forth between a couple of my publishers. Autumn is usually my most creative time of year but I’m definitely feeling the spring vibes at the mo - anyone else? The earth began to stir and my brain went a-whir. Oo, and I’ve just signed off the final proofs for my new book and oh my gaaaahd it looks so good! I can’t wait to share it with you all. In the meantime, if you fancy pre-ordering Ebb and Flow: A Guide to Seasonal Living, you can do so through Bloomsbury, Bookshop, Waterstones, Amazon or anywhere else you buy your books. It makes such a different in the lead up to publication, so thank you.

Something I Made - The April Birth Flowers print

One of the newest designs from my birth flowers collection, a vase blooming with April’s daisies and sweet peas. I recently moved all my art designs over to Teemill, which means they are now printed in a sustainable, renewable-powered factory on 100% recycled paper. This one is available in A5, A4, A3 and as a blank greetings card for those mid-spring birthdays, new babies and anniversaries. Perfecto!

Something I Like - Folklore Activist: The Art of Ben Edge by Weird Walk

The latest addition to my growing collection of Weird Walk zines, this one has been created in collaboration with Ben Edge, a British artist exploring the relationships between folklore and storytelling, between ancient calendar customs and the ordinary lives of modern people. His paintings have played an important role in the latest wave of folklore resurgence, and this zine has been written to celebrate the publication of his new book Folklore Rising, which is due out in October. Highly recommend this zine as we inch closer to Beltane.

Recipe of the Month - Wild Garlic Salt by Riverford

My brother-in-law and niece have been making this and it smells amazing! Wild garlic isn’t usually known for drying or preserving well, but this technique is a great way to capture that oh-so-pungent essence of spring. Sprinkle it over poached eggs, roasted vegetables or anything that goes well with garlic (which is everything).