Inside…the curtains of wisteria were the same, and beyond them the garden, green and wild.
The Scent of Water, Elizabeth Goudge
Dear Friends,
I hope this finds you well, and for those in the Northern hemisphere enjoying some warmer weather. May finally brought an increase in temperature here in the U.K. and with it a burgeoning of green abundance. This month is the gateway to the summer, hosting the last of the spring flowers before welcoming in the full floral bloom of June. It’s the month for wisteria so it seemed most serendipitous that I’ve been reading “The Scent of Water” which has as one of its central themes the healing nature of a neglected but bounteous garden, approached through a curtain of deep, purple wisteria.
Our wedding anniversary also falls in this month and we had a lovely walk one Saturday, through fields of buttercups and ancient villages (as well as a few nettles and muddy tracks), finally winding up at the windmill you can see above.
It’s been a busy month as you can see, hence why I’m only getting this out now. I feel I am doing nothing very well, and a lot rather haphazardly, so some time to reflect and rest is probably needed!
Have a lovely month and I hope you find time to enjoy the beauty around you and savour some moments with your precious people.
Molly x
Nature notes and homestead jottings
Above is a photo of my polytunnel a week or so ago. It has been overflowing with greenness and new life as tiny seeds, given some soil, warmth and water have turned into delicate new seedlings. I find it so satisfying; neither the vagrancies of the weather nor the threats from wildlife affect their reaching out to life. It’s a place of messy abundance. I often feel this is a good analogy for our early years of parenting; while under our protection, safe from unhelpful influences, our small children can flourish and grow. It is usually a messy time, but full to bursting with life.
Due to such a wet spring I kept these tiny seedlings undercover for longer than normal, until the ground dried out a little. Once the sun came out it has been a steady job to get them all established outdoors. So often the chickens, having escaped their run, have then eaten our vegetables. This year I’ve netted almost everything so hopefully we will get to enjoy some of the fruit of my labours.
The chickens do, however, lay lovely tasting eggs. We have had five for the past year or so, but on our half term visit to the Bath and West show succumbed to the beautiful array of hens for sale and came home with two new additions to our small flock. They are currently going through the process of establishing the pecking order but seem to be quite peaceable and are settling in well. It’s difficult getting a picture of all of them, but I’ll add one of as many as I can capture in one photo.
The hedgerows have been wreathed in frothy white flowers, first hawthorn, or May blossom, and now elderflower. We made our annual batch of elderflower cordial which filled the kitchen with its sweet fragrance as the flavours seeped together for a few days. If you live in the UK there are probably still plenty of elderflower blooms about, so have a go at making this delicious drink; recipe here .
Our regional agricultural show, the Bath and West, always takes place over the May half term and it’s an event which has traditionally been a day out for myself and the children, HWH not being too interested in agriculture. I absolutely love seeing this showcase of local farming and rural skills. The girls were disappointed that I was their only company, both boys not being home, but we had a lovely day and took in cows, sheep, hens, goats, the floral displays, the bee tent, the apple and cider tent, sheep shearing and so much more. We ate our picnic lunch listening to some great folk music and we all bought hats! You can see the girls’ sporting theirs in the pic below.
Homeschool journal
May has seen two bank holidays, and on the first of these the girls and I spent the day at the Bishop’s Palace in the company of Wardour Garrison a seventeenth century living history group. As always with with reenactment groups they were incredibly knowledgeable and keen to share all they know. A fun and informative day.
May is also the month of the annual Learn Free conference which was held virtually this year. I was able to make a couple of the “morning coffee” chats this time, continued my own learning through listening to some excellent talks and gave a webinar with the title “When ideals meet reality”. We recorded a Rooted to Flourish podcast on the same topic.
On the Saturday at the end of the May half term, a lovely group of home ed mum’s wended their way down here for a child free day to chat, eat, walk and pray. It was lovely to catch up with old friends and meet a couple of mums new to home ed. I’m so very thankful to the women who started the Bristol Christian home ed group and continue to run it (Helen and Mary from who you can hear on )RTF; it has been a life line to so many of us and numerous initiatives have grown out of it.
Musings for our time
Here in the U.K. a snap general election has been called. I can see two plus sides of this; we only get six weeks of political one upmanship and it prompts us up our praying. If you’re in the UK, a couple of resources you may like to check out are from The Christian Institute and Christian Concern. Let’s get praying!
Mothering through the seasons 
Enjoyed reading this, thank you. Your words bring your activities and thoughts to life. Good images as well. Great hats and chickens!
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