Magical day I was thrilled to be invited by Permanent Publications to the Weleda Insight Day – an invitation made to all readers of Permaculture Magazine. It proved a day to surpass expectations. I hesitate to use ‘magical’ terms for fear of detracting from the factual base and deep-thinking that contributes to the biodynamic approach,…
Grab the opportunity of any sunny spells between the storms to explore locally and see which new skincare plants you can find. You might stumble upon a new favourite. All the sunshine and rain has encouraged luscious new growth so you may need to forage a bit deeper among the greens to spot these five…
This is an article published recently by Permaculture Magazine. ‘Weed’ is a controversial term. I feel slanderous using it. Every definition I can find references weeds as either unwanted or feeble. At best they are misplaced. (Curious that the same word can be used as a derogatory term for something that is either too vigorous,…
Create the right sleep vibes with a pillow mist A pillow mist brings a calming freshness to your bedroom enabling you to still the day’s worries and settle into the night’s calm. What makes a good pillow mist? Naturally you’ll want your mist to be light and airy, it’s got to do its work in…
Marshmallow for skincare Let’s get the picture straight right away. We don’t suggest getting a packet of fluffy sweets and pounding them into your skincare. The marshmallow we talk about is the beautiful, tall hedgerow and countryside plant. Characteristically pink, trumpety blooms. Large, rounded (slightly hairy leaves). A tall straight stem, full of the mucilage…
In a traditional skincare recipe a term like ‘toilet vinegar’ can sometimes stop us in our tracks. With a little investigating we can learn a lot to bring recipes into modern use. When there weren’t preparations ready to buy off-the-shelf we were resourceful in using the ingredients we had to hand – in kitchen cupboards…
Midsummer Elderflowers Elderflower (Sambucus nigra) is an essential summer scent, a classic element in the hedgerow. It has been used since Roman times. The whole elder tree has uses: leaves, flowers bark and berries. Elder has been termed ‘the medicine chest of the country people’ (Ettmueller). John Evelyn wrote: ‘if the medicinal properties of its leaves,…
