Just as the people have started returning to Sacred Earth this spring, so has the land started to regenerate.
The sunny cold of April, rain of May and growing warmth of June have created a heady cocktail of intense, lingering blossom and sudden growth. The hawthorn and blackthorn, in particular, have been incredibly vivid and long lasting this year. The bluebells came late but lingered long into May.
The land on the forest floor is bursting with colour again and covered with wood anemones, violets and speedwells. Hundreds of tiny green and yellow caterpillars are dangling on threads of silk from the developing tree canopy. The lakes and ponds are full from the recent rains and swarming with thousands of tadpoles.
Blue, great and coal tits are everywhere, desperately trying to quell their chicks’ voracious appetites. We’ve spotted greylag geese, white egrets and a peregrine falcon joining our regular feathered residents: herons, woodpeckers, buzzards and kingfishers. The cacophony of birdsong at dusk and dawn is like an orchestra playing a symphony, and the young people on our spring camps have been awestruck by something they could never hear indoors.
Our new veggie garden at Phoenix Lodge is starting to take shape we have a gardening intern who will stay for the summer. The potatoes are already in and we have a new flock of chickens who are happily scratching around in their new home. We’re also looking for live-in volunteers for the first time this year, through World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF). Accommodation will be in yurts next to the veg garden. There is a shared kitchen, compost toilets and outdoor showers. If this sounds like your bag, check out our listing on the WWOOF website and apply through them.
If you’re already living locally but still interested in volunteering, we’re looking for people to come on Mondays. We’re hoping to build other volunteering options into Wednesdays (with our gardening intern) and Fridays, with our WWOOFERS. You’ll share the fresh garden harvest and learn about land management in return for your efforts! Get in touch if you’d like to find out more.
