Saturday 31 December 2011

Farewell to the old!

Blog posts are strange things. I know many bloggers are capable, productive people. They plan their posts, programme the widgits to deliver posts at regular intervals and carry on with their life. It doesn't work like that for me - or hasn't done so in the past. I think about things, really want to share discoveries and then life happens and nothing gets posted for ages.

For several weeks I've been wanting to tie up things with my herbal ally for 2011 - sweet violet but it hasn't happened, so I'm going to give you a run down of some of the things I've been up to.

Back in October, my aim for the remaining three months of 2011 was to catch up with any tasks I'd omitted from Kristine Brown's Herbal Ally challenges. I know I only meditated with the plant once rather than on a regular basis, but things went rather pear-shaped. I did make some salve with the beautifully dark green double infused oil just before Christmas and aim to use it for breast massage on a regular basis next year (New Year resolution No 1!)

When autumn arrived I fully intended to dig up a violet plant and consider its roots, but when I went down to my violet patch at the bottom of my garden (I don't have fairies who live there, just a pile of stones and shells guarded by a hedgehog and a mouse!) I discovered an amazing show of new violet flowers. How could I dig up a plant when they were putting on so much new growth!

Instead, I picked the flowers the day before the December workshop and poured boiling water over them to begin the process of making a violet syrup. I'd left the flowers in a glass jug for an hour or so before I infused them and the smell was positively divine! You can read about the magic of syrup making on Jackie's blog. The syrup was much more pink than the one I'd made in the spring which shows how more potent the fresh violet flowers were despite growing at the wrong time of year!

I've learned so much from this plant, I'm really pleased I chose her for my ally during 2011.

Herbal Ally 2012
Next year's ally has also been chosen during one of my recent. sleepless nights. Although I've worked with her a great deal already, I'm going to walk with all the different kinds of rose who gift me with their friendship and medicine. I spent an hour on Wednesday clearing a secret path to the new dogrose in the field around the corner from my house. I have three others to learn from at the farm along with the apothecary's rose and some US rosa rugosa seeds I hope to plant in the spring.

4 comments:

fiona said...

Hello! I am looking forward to following your 'year of the rose'.. my favourite flower, but I only tried to use it for the first time last summer, making an oil on the windowsill, changing and changing the petals. I just made simple little lip balms with a bit of beeswax. I am thinking of choosing some herbs to get to know better this year.. thanks for inspiring me! Wishing you love and light xx

Rowan said...

Life gets away from us all at times but there's a whole new year waiting now - may it be a happy and healthy one for you and hopefully I might even get down to either Solihull or the Sanctuary this year!

Allisonian said...

It is so funny and strange how nature is in control no matter who we cut the seasons. I have so many of the same kinds of things when it comes to herbs and gardens and wildcrafting. Hence the 'wild' I guess. I am so excited for this year! Thank you for all of the wonderful posts. I also run my blog in a way that goes with lifes little itinerary(sp) Cheers, Allison :D

KathyB. said...

First, I really do know how tings get away from you time-wise when life, real day to day life, demands it's due.Then of course are all the plans we make that don't fall into real-life time, however, it seems your violets are most forgiving and even blessing your ability to give in to life as it is for you.

I have a lot of violets that have taken root and taken over a portion of our front yard and this post has inspired me to give in and accept the blessings of their hardy growth as my abundance. Thank-you.