Winter Once More!

Winter on the doorstep, autumn leaves still underfoot, naked trees, frosted grass.... chilly mornings, warm socks, soft sunlight, icy windscreens, hot chocolate, leopard print gloves, splashin' in puddles, sodden umbrellas, wispy woodsmoke, movies and blankets...... I say hello and welcome Winter!!

Sometimes I think the beginning of Winter is my favourite time of the year. It always feels so clean, the air is crisp and the beauty of autumn is still showing it's full glory..... Anyway a kind of winter laziness has a set in today, so here's a poem that I wrote a while back and kinda like - so thought I would share....


Land of The Fey

The Fey, they tiptoe softly across the moonlit lawn
Whilst angels hang in droplets, in the black before this dawn
Beware young sir in red-feathered cap
In polished boots, looped with leather strap
These ancient hills, and haunted barrows
Are not meant for your misguided arrows
“A stag, a stag , such sad words do ring,
An ancient lore you have now rescind
For animals that walk upon this soil
The fey; at violent death, recoil
So sit ye merry, antlers strapped to your pack
Unsuspecting of any malevolent wrath
That these small folk, to your life, may bring
With a tug of your golden-knocker, “ding, ding”
“Enter”, you shout quite unaware
Of the mischief these unearthly creatures may bear
You feel a magick breeze whisk by your face
And rapidly fall out of all time and space
Now ye wake to such a sight unknown
With a head so sore, you do but moan
“For pity sake, where on earth am I”,
Yet a wizened elf laughs by and by,
“Why sir you are but prisoner in the land of the fey,
And for your crimes against nature, here shall ye stay”.


Peace and light
Briony x

Some Quick Winter Gardening

Well it's July, and the garden can always do with a few extra things planted. I have my very first winter vegetable patch and feel quite proud. Bumbling around in wet socks and the rain is somehow pretty therapeutic. I've planted broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce and snow peas that are busy twining themselves up some sticks I've put in the ground near the fence. My silverbeat is also doing really well!

Below is a quick list of what is apparently good to plant in July in temperate zones of Australia- that is warm summer, cool in winter! This includes inland Queensland, New South Wales tablelands and coastal region south of Sydney, and much of southern coastal Australia from Melbourne, Adelaide through to Perth.

Beetroot
Direct in rows.
Harvesting from August - September

Broad beans
Direct in rows.
Harvesting from October - December

Cabbage
Bring on in seed trays, then plant out seedlings.
Harvesting from September - October

Lettuce
Bring on in seed trays, then plant out seedlings.
Harvest from September.

Mustard greens
Sow direct.
Harvesting from August - September

Onion
Bring on in seed trays, then plant out seedlings.
Harvesting from December - March

Parsnip
Sow direct.
Harvest from November.

Peas
Sow direct.
Harvest from September.

Radish
Sow direct.
Harvest from August.

Shallots (also Eschalots)
Bring on in seed trays, then plant out seedlings.
Harvesting from September - October

Snow Peas (also Sugar Peas, Mangetout, Chinese Peas)
Direct.
Harvest from October.
Preparing for August

Please go to http://www.gardenate.com.au/ - quite a good site to plan when to plant your vegetables and herbs all year around.

By Briony

Winter Solstice - Two Celebrations

Well Sunday is winter solstice in Melbourne meaning we are right in midwinter and approaching the shortest day of the year. The winter solstice is often celebrated as a time of rebirth and marks a time from whence the sun starts to gain strength and arise earlier and go to sleep later as we head into spring. So it really is a celebration of the end of darkness and a return of the light!!!

Last year I went to the CERES Winter Solstice Festival in East Brunswick. It was thoroughly enjoyable, candle lighting, delicious spicy mulled wine, good music, plenty of people and family friendly too……Rug up and enjoy!

Two celebrations that I can highly recommend:







CERES Yule Celebration - Winter Solstice Sunday 21st June 3 - 9pm – www.ceres.org.au

Brighten up your winter’s night and discover the beauty of darkness and light with shadow puppetry, a traditional Yule ritual, fire sculpture, poetry and a stellar musical line up.

$15 full $10 members /concession
$ 5 kids
$20 passionate - $5 of ticket price is donated to CERES
Tickets at the Gate







Collingwood Children’s Farm – Winter Solstice Bonfire at the Farm – Saturday 20th June (sorry for late notice)- www.farm.org.au

Beautiful Darkness celebrating the longest night of the Year with a Family Bonfire.

Collingwood Childrens Farm Stable Paddock Gates Open 4pm Bonfire Lit 6pm.


Prices Family Ticket $16.00
Children $4.00
Concession Family $10.00
Concession Adult $5.0
Adults $8.00

HAVE FUN......

Written by Briony
Images courtesy of CERES and the Collingwood Children's Farm

Some Simple Earthwise Remedies for Winter

It is interesting that cultures across the world continue to use a myriad of herbal remedies for many, many different types of ailments. Some of these are simple and some extremely complex, and many use age-old folk recipes.

Here are some simple earth-wise remedies that may help you fight some common winter ailments this chilly season! :) Considering the ingredients involved, I would assume these remedies are derived from an English/European heritage.

Note: As someone who is remains largely in the dark about herbal medicine, I have kept these to the basics and you should be able to find most ingredients around the house.

• To help a sore throat gargle a teaspoon of salt dissolved in warm water, four times daily. Alternatively add 5 drops of tea-tree oil to 1 glass of water and gargle. Warning: Do not swallow this gargle- as tea tree oil is toxic.

• To reduce the tickle in your throat, try a gargle with honey, popular in folk medicine. Steep 1 tablespoon of lemon juice in two cups of hot water and mix with one tablespoon of honey. Cool before gargling.

• To clear a stuffy nose and help yourself to a good night sleep add 1 tablespoon whisky, the juice of ½ a lemon and a little honey to hot chamomile tea.

• To warm your chilly feet mix 1 tablespoon olive oil and 3 drops each of rosemary and black pepper essential oils. Firmly sweep your hand up towards your ankle and then lightly sweep down towards your toes.

• To unclog sinuses mix 3 drops peppermint oil to a bowl of hot water and place your tent your head over the bowl and gently inhale in. Be careful not to go too close- steam can be very hot!

• Use oatmeal as a soap substitute to soothe flaky, dry skin. Oatmeal is recommended by dermatologists and is safe and inexpensive. Tie some oatmeal in a handkerchief, dunk it in water, then squeeze out the excess and use it as you would a normal face washer.

• Ginger has a great botanical ability to warm up a chilled body. Cut 1.5cms of fresh, peeled ginger and grate finely into boiling water, to make a yummy ginger tea. Allow ginger/water infusion stand and steep for 5 minutes before straining and drinking. It is very good with honey and lemon, but may be taken straight.

May you all stay warm and well this beautiful winter season!! :)

Written by Briony
Photo by "Lavonne Rice-Gordon"

First Day Of Winter

For the first day of winter I thought I would post a great poem for you to enjoy! How wonderful that it has been raining today. I have been happily listening to the rhythm of the rain pattering out in my garden all day :)

Oh, Gray And Tender Is The Rain

by Lizette Woodworth Reese

Oh, gray and tender is the rain,

That drips, drips on the pane!

A hundred things come in the door,

The scent of herbs, the thought of yore.

I see the pool out in the grass,

A bit of broken glass;

The red flags running wet and straight,

Down to the little flapping gate.

Lombardy poplars tall and three,

Across the road I see;

There is no loveliness so plain

As a tall poplar in the rain.

But oh, the hundred things and more,

That come in at the door! -

The smack of mint, old joy, old pain,

Caught in the gray and tender rain.

May this poem help you think of all the lovely things that a rainy day can bring, and remind you of the important things in your life......

By Briony
Photo "Rain" By Bartek (aka. Bartoz) found at http://www.bartoz.deviantart.com/)

Ice Hotels

It is rare in winter that I feel inspired to go away. If I were to consider a trip to the country or beach, the images in my mind would be a mosaic of warm fires, sweet little B&B’s with a hot breakfast, warm coats and mittens and perhaps a trip to the snow! However to some, the ultimate in a winter retreat is to hole up and hibernate in one of the many ice hotels that have sprung up over the past couple of decades from Europe to Canada and even in Romania.

So what is an ice hotel? Well an ice hotel is a hotel made up entirely from sculpted blocks of ice and snow. Simply put, it is an oversized and extravagant type iof igloo! These hotels are recreated every year, year after year. They are novelty type destination and are often built by artists to varying themes with artist inspired architecture and laden with ice sculptures, ice furnishings and even ice glasses for the bar. Not surprisingly, these structures are entirely reliant on sub-zero temperatures. So when spring is almost sprung, they inevitably start to melt!

The first ice hotel was built in 1989 and is the Ice Hotel in Jukkasjarvi, Sweden. It started as an exhibition of ice art, but one year when some visitors asked to stay, they officially became the first ever ice hotel guests and slept happily in sleeping bags on reindeer skins. The entire hotel is made of snow and ice blocks borrowed from the Torne River. Each year it is recreated with approx. 10,000 tons of ice and 30,000 tonnes of snow and the hotel itself spans about 6000m2 when completed. Really it is the ultimate in recycling, as each spring/summer the entire creation once again becomes part if the Torne River's rushing rapids and courses towards the sea. To read more about this fascinating place, visit the Ice Hotel website at http://www.icehotel.com/.

An Ice Bar In Melbourne

In October last year the Funk Bar recreated itself to become the first and only ice lounge in Melbourne, “Chill On Ice Lounge Bar”, http://www.chillon.com.au/. Needless to say everything in it from the walls, to the chairs are made from roughly 30 tonnes of ice- even the drink glasses are ice. Interestingly only 22% proof alcohol is available as anything less would freeze. With this little detail-I wonder if this is why Russians drink Vodka so much!?

However, unlike the Ice Hotel of Jukkasjarvi, this Ice Bar is not maintained in its frozen state by natural means and with 2 freezers and 4 fans to keep all this ice frozen, one must seriously consider the useage of energy to maintain this false environment for the short enjoyment and amusement of a few. It may be fantasy to some, but I must admit, at $30 a pop for a 30 minute session to freeze my ass off in a bar that completely ignores the fragility of our real world, I don't think I will be headed there anytime soon!

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this little blog on ice hotels and may you lie in bed tonight, and think of how nice and warm and snug it is under your winter blankets:)

Written by Briony

Winter Wine Warmers

What a wonderful way to keep your red wine warm and your white wine chilly! :)

I had a wondeful time making these and really haven't seen much around like them. They are created from the arms of two old woollen jumpers felted in the washing machine. I have adorned the black holder with colourful little felt blobs and circles, and the grey on with the caption "WINO" which is of course tongue in cheek humour.

Recycling old woollen jumpers into felt craft was a bit of a past time last winter and I am looking forward to making more crafty things this winter. To me felt and wool epitomise winter. There is something special about rugging up all cosy and warm in your woolly gloves on a cold, misty morning......

Personally the thought of rocking up to someones house for dinner with a bottle of red wine in it's own little cosy is kinda cool!! It could sit on the middle of the table as a kind of decoration in its own right. If it was chilly white wine - well your hands wouldn't get cold picking the bottle up to pour...... The fact that wool is a fabulous insulator just tops of how useful these little wonders could be :)

Photo and Wine Warmers by Briony