Clearing Spaces - Filling Lavender Bags and Stamping Herbal Bath Tea Bags

Carole had been busy sewing two sorts of fabric bags, the lavender bags were now ready to fill and the room was filled with the relaxing smell of English Lavender. There are many benefits to growing lavender and we have quite a lot all over The Green Patch, it has many uses and is also a great support to bees.

Carole had also sewn small, cotton, drawstring bags

and the group used stamps and fabric ink pads

to decorate the plane cotton

in preparation for our lotions and potions 

sessions coming to The green Patch soon!

It was a very relaxing, enjoyable morning

Herbal bath tea ideas - 

Relaxation 

• Rose petals and lavender are a brilliant combination and fill the air with a lovely floral scent while helping the body to relax in the warm water.
• Calendula and chamomile are both known for their soothing properties and can also help soften the skin as the stress melts away in this bath combination.
• Sage and lemon balm can help clear the head.
• Hops and hyssop can help bring about restful sleep.

Rejuvenation blends

• Peppermint and lemon balm will soothe and rejuvenate without the jittery after effects of coffee.
• Rose petals and lovage will fill the air with a delightful herbal and floral scent that relaxes the body and invigorates the mind.
• Jasmine flowers and dried lemon peel with help the body smell good after the bath while simultaneously easing stress and hopefully helping the brain find new thoughts. 

Lavender bags ready to be sewn closed.

Lavender sachets have lots of different uses:

• Stow them in drawers to make clothing and delicates smell lovely
• Toss in the dryer with laundry (good for at least a dozen loads!)
• Place in a pillowcase as an aid to relaxation before sleeping
• Use as a natural alternative to mothballs, which are toxic, to help repel moths while storing seasonal clothes
• Stow in the car as a pleasant alternative to commercial air fresheners
• Store one in each piece of empty luggage after a trip to keep suitcases smelling fresh and clean

Branching Out - Stowe - Temples, Tales, Parks and Gardens

Our Stowe Branching Out walk was guided by the awesome Storyteller and long time friend of back To Books - Philippa Tipper

Philippa Tipper: "People have conversations that make connections that create communities.
And we don't just belong to one community. We each participate in a variety of communities -- and have many stories that can be shared across those communities.
Stories are powerful. They can empower, embitter, enlighten and inform. They can build fear, break down barriers and can tell of shared experiences to shine a light into the future. They can connect us with different ways of being, of seeing things from a fresh perspective.
Some people travel the world for inspiration, it's good to look further a field, not get bogged down in the mire of petty local politics, to see that there is more out there in the world than your disputatious neighbour.
However, the wider world is not always a thousand miles away. We live in an extraordinary web of cultural life right here, right now. But you have to be prepared to step out of your door, or move off your chair, and have conversations with people that you had never before considered to be part of your community. 
It's all about listening, hearing, sharing. Let me tell you a story."

Sharing Our Communities' Stories - Philippa Tipper at TEDxMiltonKeynes

Link to the history of Stowe Landscape Gardens

Stowe House

Philippa created a walk punctuated by stories that resonated with stopping points

About The Hermitage

About The Temple of Venus

About The Pebble Alcove

About The Palladian Bridge

About The Saxon Deities

Images of The Saxon Deities

Our walk was about 3.5 miles

We had a picnic at The Temple of Venus

We also filled the alcoves, became statues

Carolyn led a Listening Mindfulness Meditation

Carole invited the group to create a paper shell 

intervention of wishes at The Pebble Alcove

Poems about gardens

Gardening terms

More images here

It was a day of wonder, relaxation and surprise!

Many thanks to Phillipa and to the National Trust at Stowe for making our day so memorable.

Celebrating Our Senses - Walk 5 - Touch

The fifth in a series of Mindfulness and 

Wellbeing walks to celebrate our senses. 

We walked from the Green Patch 

along the river path to Warkton.

Inspired by the exquisitely carved feathers 

of the angel which is part of one the 

Montagu Monuments in 

St Edmunds Church, Warkton

artist Carole Miles decided to create a 

temporary installation of printed feathers 

suspended within a copper framework.

A feather seemed a good motif for Touch - 

which could be feather light yet very powerful.

We followed a trail of feathers

and sat inside or

 stood around the outside.during 

our Mindfulness meditation - Touch - 

was written and lead by Carolyn Bantin 

We felt very tranquil as we closed our eyes

and allowed our minds to hold and enjoy

the words, breathing fully and deeply.

feeling relaxed and in touch with ourselves.

We had our lunch in the meeting room 

whilst the installation was dismantled. 

We folded origami fir trees and 

wrote some thoughts about the day. 

We stopped to play Pooh Sticks on the bridge.

We walked back to our start point with 

quicker steps and lighter hearts. 

One walker said to Carole 

"You make the best walks EVER!"

Many thanks to Anne-Marie Sandos who worked on the Montague Monuments Project and is now working in education and outreach for Boughton House for making it possible for us to visit, create, meditate and have our lunch within this peaceful place. Many thanks also to Michael Miles AKA Copper Man for helping with the installation.

You can see the complete photo set here

Walk distance  3 miles.

The series of Mindfulness and Wellbeing "Celebrating Our Senses" walks have been made possible with a Grant awarded from Margaret Giffen Community Fund and Northamptonshire Community Foundation and with support from NStep.

PS - you may catch a glimpse of a familiar red head singing her heart out with the Deep Roots Tall Trees Choir  during Remembrance and Rebirth – Songs for the Montagu Monuments in May 2016 :-)

Celebrating Our Senses - Walk 1 - Taste

Our walk location was Rushden, our mindfulness meditation focused on Taste and we adapted this One Raisin Meditation  to one Blackberry. For some it was the first time they had tasted a wild Blackberry. We walked into a wooded area, with a bumpy pathway which lead us to a place where we could forage for Blackberries on what may have been an old industrial site but one which has Mirabelle Plums, Damsons and Rosehips as well as Blackberries. Carolyn thought the blackberry bushes might have been part of market garden and is a well know and loved area for local foragers.

 

We had previously contacted Rushden Transport Museum to ask if we could visit with our group and weather permitting, eat our picnic on the platform. We were made so welcome, the weather was perfect and we were able to visit the Museum as well.

 The station platform was a perfect place for our picnic

Tasty croutons, dips, tomatoes

Carolyn's stuffed roasted vegetable loaf 

adapted from a Paul Hollywood recipe

We also sampled some of our foraged blackberries with yoghurt and granola, sat in the sun, got to know each other and made a start on our Walk Journals

After exploring the Museum

and the Station

we walked back to our cars whilst sharing impressions of the day.

You can see the complete photo set here

Walk distance 1 mile.

The was first in a series of Mindfulness and Wellbeing "Celebrating Our Senses" walks made possible with a Grant awarded from Margaret Giffen Community Fund and Northamptonshire Community Foundation and with support from NStep.

Here are some links to tasty recipes you might like to try.

Easy Berry Jam Recipe

Watermelon and Blackberry Salad Recipe

Proscuitto, Blackberry and Basil Pizza Recipe

Blackberry Salad

Mirabelle Plum Gallette Recipe

Mirabelle Plum Jam Recipe

Rosehip and Apple Jelly Recipe

How to Store and Dry Rosehips for Rosehip Tea

What a Difference a Day Makes

Maureen Walvin and Grey Gibson continued the work on the Puddle Jumping panel. Predictably enough, the weather changed once again, the day was punctuated by heavy cloud and intermittent showers. 

but we stayed warm and dry

with a plentiful supply of tea!

Both found that mosaic making reminded them of 

their own experience of painting and quilting

and said the process was surprisingly relaxing.

Grey brought the gift of some much needed green tiles 

which added contrast to the areas they were working on. 

We are sure that the children from Priory Lower School

will be delighted when they see their puddlesome

adventure captured in mosaic form.

Stevie Way Panel continued in the Studio

Here's a progress report on one of the panels begun at Stephenson Way and continued in Carole's studio.

Shusha Walmsley came to help

and found the experience

relaxing and engrossing!

The panel also took a trip to Alstonefield were Carole was involved in a walking residential.

The completed panel then returned to her studio and is now ready to grout.