A New Season
September Newsletter
Rosehips and blackberries, sloe gin and chestnuts. Crab apples, damsons, bullace and puffballs. Foraging baskets, full to the brim, these are a few of my favourite things …
It’s autumn folks!
Here in the rolling downs the seasons are changing. Bright sunny days have a chill to them with prevailing north-westerly zephyrs and the evenings are losing their never-ending chatter as the sun sets a little earlier each day.
The grains in the fields have been gathered and now it’s time for the bounty that is found in the hedgerows and the orchards. It’s a time to pickle, preserve, slice and dice and whilst you’re doing that, listen to a good story. Enter the storyteller.
For the first part of September I will in the main be catching up with admin. The delights of a tax return await me, some general website maintenance, renewal of insurances and I really must get started on some new kit I wish to make for reenactment.
Later in the month you will find me at Butser Ancient Farm’s yearly boat burn with Herigeas Hundas, and online I’m telling autumnal tales with Jason Buck. It’s rare that I tell live online these days and I love telling tales with Mr Buck so don’t miss your chance for an excellent evening of stories, wherever you are in the world, do come and join us on the 22nd of September. There’s a handy booking link further down the newsletter for you.
Posts for free subscribers this month include, book reviews, free range folklore, catch ups and - drum roll please - I’m bringing back the podcast! Yes you read that correctly! I’m hoping to complete the long awaited second episode of season four.
Many of you will know, the podcast went on hold whilst I completed my year long full-time contract with The South Downs National Park, but I’m hoping I will now have some time to delve back into ‘Stories From Lore.’ If you’re not already, make sure you are signed up to the newsletter to receive Season 4 Episode 2 -‘Strawberries Fair’, as soon as it goes live.
Coming up this month on Substack for paid subscribers, is the last celebration sheet in a collaboration between myself and Tiffany Francis-Baker. This one is for Mabon and completes the eight ‘wheel of the year’ sabbat sheets we have been compiling for our paid subscribers. In addition, I’ll show you how to make a charm bag for your kitchen to bring prosperity for the coming year and I’ll be chatting about my Cumbrian adventure and the landscape of the Lakes. Yes I dared to go on holiday for a whole week - a treacherous venture for a freelancer.
At this time of year I am always reminded of Christina Rossetti’s delicious poem, Goblin Market. Here’s the first verse for your delight, you can read the full poem here. Once you’ve feasted on the stalls at the market, read on to find out where I am next and what I’m reading this month.
Goblin Market
Morning and evening
Maids heard the goblins cry:
“Come buy our orchard fruits,
Come buy, come buy:
Apples and quinces,
Lemons and oranges,
Plump unpeck’d cherries,
Melons and raspberries,
Bloom-down-cheek’d peaches,
Swart-headed mulberries,
Wild free-born cranberries,
Crab-apples, dewberries,
Pine-apples, blackberries,
Apricots, strawberries;—
All ripe together
In summer weather,—
Morns that pass by,
Fair eves that fly;
Come buy, come buy:
Our grapes fresh from the vine,
Pomegranates full and fine,
Dates and sharp bullaces,
Rare pears and greengages,
Damsons and bilberries,
Taste them and try:
Currants and gooseberries,
Bright-fire-like barberries,
Figs to fill your mouth,
Citrons from the South,
Sweet to tongue and sound to eye;
Come buy, come buy.”
I wish you all a fruitful September! Read on to find out what stories, events and recommended reads I have for you this month.
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September's Track:
Upcoming Events For September/October :
2nd September - Community Storytelling - Paulsgrove Summer Party - More Information Here.
22nd September - Autumn Equinox - Stories of light and dark - Online Storytelling with Jason Buck - Book Here
23rd September- Equinox Boat Burn - Butser Ancient Farm - Sold Out (I’ll see you there)
13th October - Wild Women’s Circle - Wild Nest Yoga Studio, Petersfield - More Info Here
19th October - Ghost story Walk - Bramshott Common - Book Here
26th October - Twilight Tales at Gilbert White’s House & Gardens - More Information here
For more information visit my events page using the button below.
August’s Paid Subscriber Content, Available In The Archive:
Tour Of Anglo-Saxon House - Watch Here
Nine Herbs To rule Them All - Watch Here
Lammas Celebration Sheet - Download Here
Thank you for supporting this newsletter through August. Supporting my work in this way allows me to continue to write freely and authentically and I thank you from the bottom of my storytelling heart.
Upgrade to paid, for just £5 a month, with the subscribe button below and receive at least two extra posts a month and an archive of posts exclusively for subscribers.
September’s Read:
Many of you know that I spend a lot of my time dressed as an Anglo Saxon and so naturally Old English and the roots of our modern English fascinate me. So far this book has not disappointed. I’ll be back, later in the month to give you a run down of the book.
Ironically I'm reading this in 30c temperature. However, blackberries picked, soon be crab apples for jelly and sloes for gin. Enjoyable read 😀👍
My absolutely favourite season and so much to look forward to. Ticket purchased for Stories of Light and Dark : )