Tricia's Flickr Pictures

Here is a link to Tricia's photos on Flickr, some really nice shots of the exhibition and some of the folks that came along.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/78122496@N03/sets/72157629639094706/

Dan's Pics of the show

Really Enjoyed the Show, Thanks Everyone.

RARE BOOK VIST

Thanks to Mike at the John Innes Institute for showing us round the rare book collection amazing old herbal books that often had hand painted pictures. My camera didn't work very well so excuse the lack of quality photos. The dude at the Bottom is John Innes, a banker whose money was used to set up plant based studies.

Valariana and Salvia

In April individual herb adopters have been visited. On the www.adoptaherb.org.uk website you can see Calypso Caspar singing about a herb seller in Chapelfields, join Ross and Lawrence in their Adventure Valariana and see the art work induced by drinking Sage (Salvia) Tea.

We now have dates for the Show 4th-9th May. Anteros Arts Foundation Gallery. Norwich.

Come to taste teas and draw how if makes you feel. Secret Tea Tasting 2pm-5pm May 5th in the Galley.

Secret Tea Tasting means:
Sit and think about how you feel.
Drink a cup of a unknown herbal tea.
See how it makes you feel.
Draw how it makes you feel.

This is kinda weird I know but thats the point.
No one can say that's not how you feel and you didn't draw that well.
It is really therapeutic to have the time to think about how you feel.
Its really therapeutic to draw and be creative.

Come to the secret tea tasting. I 'll promise you a cuppa.

Bungay Library Medicine Bed

I meet a lovely group of Norfolk and Suffolk boarder folk on Sunday to encourage them to adopt one herb each from the Sustainable Bungay Libray Medicine Bed. I really enjoyed taling about sustainable herbal healthcare and getting us all to draw our adopted herbs. I will be using my learnings with the allotment group in the warming months.
Thanks to Mark for inviting me.
His write up is below copied from http://www.energybulletin.net/stories/2012-03-19/getting-connected
The Plants for Life events have really taken off. We began by Connecting with Our Roots in January and learned about Growing Organic and Biodynamic Herbs in February. And yesterday, local medical herbalist and transitioner Dan Wheals, showed us how to Adopt a Herb.
We each chose one particular plant to pay attention to, the one we were most drawn to, then everyone made a drawing of the plant and then took it in turns to speak our impressions of it out loud. It was magic. And totally absorbing.

Dan guided the whole process so gently I only realised when I'd got home just how much went on in those few hours. I had no idea Lesley or Richard could draw like that, or that Charlotte, who I've been living (and working with plants) with for years, knew that about parsley! Jeannie's enthusiasm on discovering herb Robert was completely infectious and reminded me of finding it for the first time myself all those years ago...
So what about me and my personal relationship with plants? Well, it's there, but I'm much more happy to bring, share and swap and join in with other people these transition days.
Dan Wheals shows us how to connect with the plants, March 2012 (CDC); Richard's rosemary flower drawing March 2012 (MW)

Potato Day

On a cold day brave gardeners from Norfolk and Suffolk queued to buy seed potatoes. Dano had a stall there and made good contacts with Norfolk Organic Gardeners and many individuals from Norfolk who were asked to adopt a herb. Rosemary, Calendula, Mint and Lovage were adopted. See the website www.adoptaherb.org.uk as the herb collection grows.

Grape's Hill Community Garden

More herbs are being adopted.

On Monday 16th Jan Dan went to see Ieuen and Jeremy who are part of the force behind the wonderful Grapes Hill Community Garden. To see what is possible in a small area and the benefit to the local people is really inspiring. The gardens are open to the public during the day and are a sanctuary.

I was keen to find more people who would be up for adopting herbs. They will publicise what we are doing and Ieuen likes the idea of adopting Parsley after a great chat about Welsh cooking. Jeremy writes a blog which is full of research and stores about herbs and plants. He has written about so many herbs that he said it was hard just to choose one to adopt. I will link his blog from the herb collection page on the www.adoptaherb.org.uk site.

January's tasks are to firm up the dates when workshops will take place. I have started getting interested individuals joining up now via the website so the net is widening. Love it.

Quiz and Chips

The Golden Trowel and Handfork- WOW such bling.

I was so chuffed our team won. But the real winner was the Bluebells allotments. Thanks so much Sharon for a fabulous evening.

Viewing Possible on Belle and Belle's Mum's plot.

After the Quiz my friend Caspar (on the right) led the Norwich halloween festivities. He wants to sing a calyspo song about herbs for the project.

On Sunday back on my allotment in Ipswich and the bench looks strangely 3D but it had just collapsed.

SOON TO BE RELEASED:

Posters and a Website for our 'Adopt a Herb' project. Still based at the Sustainable Communities/ Bluebell South Hut, other people in Norfolk want to join in too. I'd like to propose 11-3pm gatherings in the hut to research our herbs together. I thought that a website would be a great way to publish our research into each of our adopted herbs. Once Norfolk & Norwich Festival (NNF) see it and we all agree, then lets go. You can choose any herb/ plant/ weed to adopt. Then I'll be there to guide your research exploration. I'll post stuff on the website for you too. There'll be regular meet ups between now and May 2012. Keep posted.

Herb Walk pics and thoughts

On Sunday 23rd October, a glorious day, I chatted to folk at the allotments late morning. Our project is finally taking shape. I need to come up with a list of dates when our group can meet and we decided that Fridays and Sundays 11-4 is good. We narrowed the remit down to choosing one help to research- "Adopt a Herb" as Bridgette suggested. A herb, to me means culinary plants, medicinal plants or any wild growing plants. So choose a plant/ herb you like or grow. One you find yourself weeding up the whole time perhaps or that you use as medication. As a medical herbalist I can guide your research into the plant and we will try drawing and recording our journey so there is something to present/ display in May for the festival. More to come on this. I am very keen to involve other folk too and I think that groups and random others can easily adopt a plant too and join in our spontaneous community.

The base will be the Bluebell Road South Allotment.
More info to come about the Adopt a herb concept so you can spread the word.
We will grow some herbs anyway to keep our fingers in the soil.
We will plan events for May. So far my favourite idea is to have a tea party at the Assembly House, better still a ball, with everyone dressed as their herb.
I would also like to visit some plant places/ research centres with the group.

So far we have Lavender, Evening Primrose, Cranberry, Milk thistle and I have yet to choose mine. In fact the act of choosing is quite hard.

We were swarmed whilst looking a the tree sculpture by ladybirds (Harlequins). It stopped us dwelling to much at our starting point, but we all love the Cow Tower Sculpture and I bet that there will be loads of these Harlequin ladybirds hibernating the the boxes.

Berries soon caught our eye. Lovely time of year for Berries although the roots of these sorts of plants (Berberis) are used more medicinally - very bitter taste....

Chuffed to find Meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria) growing in the river wall. They like it damp. flowering tops including leaves used as a digestive anti-inflammatory and can be drying (astringent).

I have now chosen this herb as the plant I want to investigate. It is all over ancient walls so loads in Norwich. This was growing the car park shingle near the Adam and Eve pub. Jane noticed the flowers and seeds were sticky- helps when you grow on walls. Its Pelitory of the Wall.

I keep seeing this weed, we didn't stop to ID it, but I took a photo to remember it. It it the one on the left.

This little Chickweed looked all alone.

Our walk spontaneously took in styles of flint wall building.

This cobble seemed out of place

The cathedral herb garden has plenty of plants and herbs, evidence of new plantings too. I wonder if we can join in and help them. Anyhow open 9-5, pop in a find a herb to adopt for our project.

I love the shiny soft red Rose hips

The Herb Robert - a Geranium- is a herb I investigated this sumer. The leaves are going red. These are another tenacious spreader and they often grow in low walls too. Pretty flower.

Strawberry leaves, similar to raspberry leaf medicinally- tonic to pelvic region. Amazing lines on leaf.

These next two (above and below) once registered in the brain can be seen everywhere.

Jane draws Cardoon

The planted Vinca is sharing it's space with some cress , possibly Thale cress. Some plants just turn up. I love exploring these spontaneous communities. Thale cress is the first plant to have it's genetic code mapped out, much of the research taking place in Norwich.

Buchus (Box) Letter W. Outside the Assembly House.

Allotment Planning - 12th July pics only