Well, midsummer is upon us. I will admit that it’s been a somewhat strange late spring/early summer though. Spring seemed to come late, with many things that would start in April only really blossoming in the second half of May. Of course, this meant an explosion in growth as nature ‘catches up’ with itself by speeding up. Now we’ve had a heatwave, and a week of wall-to-wall sun. And would […]
This episode of MuddyBootsHerbalist looks at the botany, and some of the uses of Wood Avens, known in Latin as Geum urbanum. This is very much experimental herbalism, and the fruits of making this tincture will be discussed in a future episode – and likely a seperate monograph!
As I get more into the ‘Silly Season’ of full-time (and then some) work, I’m becoming ever more aware of the need to make time – even just in small chunks. The half-hour here, or the morning there. So it was today – I’ve been getting interested in the idea of foraging for some time now – beyond just foraging for medicinals – as I realise that there is a […]
Those paying attention may notice a few changes to Herbary… there are, and they are quite big. Let me explain what’s been going on, and what it means! I started Herbary 3 years or so ago now when I was finishing my degree and wanted to just dump a stream of consciousness somewhere. A bit like journalling, but with the added advantage of letting others see what I was on […]
Time to be, time to re-evaluate where I’ve come from, and what I’ve done over the past three years since leaving university So, last week, I did something I’ve not done since I left university and set up my practice. I went on a short holiday. A few short days in a Yurt in mid Wales, letting go and just being. With work far away, like a half forgotten dream. […]
Not particularly a blog post in the sense of anything meaningful, but I thought I’d share my list of books, magazine subscriptions and similar to buy for 2017. And because I’m feeling generous (more like because I want to know where to find them later) I’ve included the links to buy these. PlantHealer resubscription + Annuals $120 Dragibus Magazine Back issues $15 Herbal Roots Ezine? $35? Radical Herbalism $29 =$199 […]
MuddyBootsHerbalist is back, fresh from travels to Germany. And what did I find there, well, quite a few things! A mahoosive beer glass (Maßkrug) for a start! And beer to go in it! I arrived home to find a lovely little goody box full of bottles, spray and pump dispenser tops and other goodness from Andy Hughes (The Sussex Herbalist). Thanks Andy! But what of my trip to Erfurt, the charming […]
An alternative to lasagna beds, straw bale beds, etc. As I mentioned in the last post about our plans for 2017, and my plans for the herb garden at Cae Non in particular, I have a need to rapidly extend the amount of land I have ‘under the boot’ to grow my herbs in. This year is shaping up to be the year that, having got my herbal medicine practice […]
So, I sit by a roaring fire in candle light looking out at the dusk falling on the valley. Already the quality of light outside has changed, indicating that soon, the 12 days of Christmas will be over, the decorations back in the loft but the spring proper not yet started. I have always thought that the three weeks between twelfth night and Imbolc to be truly the darkest greyest […]
So, Christmas day. You can almost hear the world breathing as up and down the land, families come together or friends meet up. This is psychic quiet time, where everyone’s thoughts turn inwards. This year, more than ever I feel I need that quiet – and more now than a single day can provide. So I’m closing the business apart from emergency repeats until after twelfth night. The same goes […]