https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/b06s96l4?partner=uk.co.bbc&origin=share-mobile BBC Radio 4 The essay Winter solstice From Sharon Blackie Old Crane woman There is an old Greek term: ‘halcyon days’. It springs from a story about the halcyon (from the kingfisher family), about which Aristotle has this to say: ‘The halcyon breeds at the season of the winter solstice. Accordingly, when this season Read more about Winter solstice[…]
“On the coldest day you appreciate the warmth of the fireand the blanket around you the most .On the darkest night you can see the stars of the northern skyand endlessness of the universe the clearest.” The Making of Winter Poem – Secret Garden In Celtic nations such as Ireland, the winter solstice is traditionally considered as Read more about Winter[…]
Frost forms in swirling ferns and birds sing it’s praise,crows call far out across the fields and beyond expanding my hearing and my heart as I follow the sounds into the beyond. The average first frost for many inland areas in the UK and Ireland is within the first ten days of November later along the Read more about First frosts[…]
Samhain to Valentines Day (Deep dark – Sagittarius & Capricorn) Stalking our inner selves “There was no one near to confuse me, so I was forced to become original.” Haydn. Brew, Stew. Soften the shellRoot November. December. January. February
Celtic for ‘summers end’, Samhain is one of the most important dates in the Celtic calendar, if not the most important. It marks the completion of one year and the beginning of another. Calan Gaeaf is the name of the first day of winter in Wales, observed on 1 November.[1] The night before is Nos Galan Gaeaf[1] or Noson Galan Gaeaf, Read more about Samhain[…]
1st Yom Kippur Jewish Day of atonement – holiest day of the year. The literal translation of kippurim is cleansing. Yom Kippur is a Jewish day to atone for misdeeds and become cleansed and purified from them. 20th Diwali – a Hindhu/ Sikh/Jain Festival of Lights 23rd Stow horse fair – Autumn gypsy/Roma gathering 25th Apple day Read more about October almanac[…]
Moving from harvesting the fruits of this year, from bringing in the last sheaf of wheat, to the Apple harvest and giving thanks; to shedding a necessary leaf or two or doing some active pruning before the bonfire time Also, when we shift into the darker half of the year storytelling really comes into its Read more about Autumn Equinox – Mabon – Harvest. Virgo moves into Libra Season[…]
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000m11v A birdsong garden Autumn Passage – Geoff Sample From The essay – BBC R3https://youtu.be/wdLSbMMnAys
Shadows lengthen, leaves begin to turn & fall, fruits, nuts & berries ripen for harvest. Birds migrate from & fro, owls duet & deer rut. Mushrooms pop, winds swirl until first frosts descend. Because the early Roman year began in March rather than January, the final four months of our year—September, October, November and December—were Read more about Autumn[…]
Jeremy Torrance web producer | 12:06 UK time, Wednesday, 8 September 2010 The word harvest comes from the Anglo-Saxon word haerfest meaning autumn and early autumn really is a time of wild fruits aplenty. So what’s in season now and who’s eating? Blackberries Blackberry jam, blackberry fool, blackberry cordial… blackberry picking is one of the nation’s favourite autumn past-times and this late summer/early Read more about Nature’s feast of Early Autumn Fruits[…]