We live our lives around the solstice, be it the longest day or the shortest day. The recent Christmas celebrations marked not only the Incarnation but also the relief that the long hours of darkness had passed, and we could look forward to increasing daylight. Our planet’s path around the […]

June is the height of midsummer, and the Wheel of the Year turns inexorably onwards as the longest day comes and goes for us in the Northern hemisphere. Because the days are still long, with an early sunrise and  a long twilight, we take the opportunity to move from urban […]

All of us have an immune system that is made up of organs and cells. The job of these organs and cells is to protect our bodies from infections, viruses, parasites and cancer cells. Unfortunately, sometimes this system decides to go haywire and instead of protecting us, it actually attacks […]

Our gardens are the place where we grow many health-giving plants. Among the culinary delights that form the bedrock  of our cooking are parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme. Other important culinary herbs are mint, bay, horseradish, fennel, marjoram, oregano, lovage, dill, basil, and lemongrass. The latter can be a bit […]

At this time of year when gardens demand so much of our attention it is interesting to consider why we put such an effort into making even the smallest patch lovely.  A garden may be defined as an area distinguished by its layout and the plants that grow there, all […]