As I write this the North-wind has brought a chill in the air and even though the trees are largely still green, it surely feels like the turning of seasons – the beginning of autumn. I am still hoping for a bit of ‘indian summer’, but I have packed the shorts away and am wearing layers again.
All photos in this article were taken by Mark Richards during one of the monthly tours Kajedo leads around the land in the summer.
It’s been a good summer – here, for us. Plenty of sunshine, though not the heat those south of us had experienced, and enough rain so that we only needed to water the trees on the Green Burial Ground and in the New Memorial Wood twice.
Our little trees have grown well, we have used more than 100 tree-stakes and tubes between May and now – mostly for little trees which had outgrown their wee spiral tubes. ‘Tree-care’ certainly took up quite a bit of this summer’s work, but we’ve also done a lot (!) of gorse cutting. Keeping all paths between the Park and the (Findhorn-) village and the sea open, cutting gorse back on species rich grassland and on firebreaks are essential, routine jobs every year. Jonathan and George had finished our second compost toilet – the ‘new loo’ – in anticipation of all the groups using the shelter area.
Photo by Mark Richards
Sadly most of our planned retreats did not happen due to lack of bookings. We’ll have to do some good thinking about that in preparation for next year. The exception was Jennie Martin’s ‘plant retreat’. We opened her day to local participants and judging by the feedback it was quite successful.
Photo by Mark Richards
We did however have quite a few biggish groups on the land – The Chivas Regal volunteer day, the Forres Academy students and not to forget – the main celebration this year – the Summer Celebration which incorporated Jonathan’s 66’th birthday bash. And there have been other birthday celebrations , baby blessings, wakes after funerals, workshops etc. at the shelter space.
Photo by Mark Richards
We also had a vision quest group booking our sites, there has been a steady trickle of ‘wild campers’ on our pads, and we’ve had regular Wednesday morning volunteer days – besides the usual once-a-month Saturday morning ‘work-parties’.
We’ve put up a bell-tent to house our lovely committed volunteer Irene – as a way of exploring ‘succession’ – bringing in younger people to ‘apprentice’ with us. The next step in that direction is our planned wee ‘shepherd’s hut’ – a simple, mobile, heatable wooden structure which could house a volunteer year-round.
It’s been a good summer, and I hope many of you had the opportunity to walk the land and witness its many-faceted beauty.
I’ll finish with extracts from a poem by R. Tagore :
‘I ask for a moment’s indulgence to sit by Thy side.
The works that i have in hand
I will finish afterwards…
…
Now it is time to sit quiet
Face to face with Thee,
And to sing dedication to life
In this silent and overflowing leisure. ‘
Many blessings,
Kajedo
FHT Land Manager
Photo by Mark Richards
Photo by Mark Richards
News from the Land – Summer 2022
As I write this the North-wind has brought a chill in the air and even though the trees are largely still green, it surely feels like the turning of seasons – the beginning of autumn. I am still hoping for a bit of ‘indian summer’, but I have packed the shorts away and am wearing layers again.
All photos in this article were taken by Mark Richards during one of the monthly tours Kajedo leads around the land in the summer.
It’s been a good summer – here, for us. Plenty of sunshine, though not the heat those south of us had experienced, and enough rain so that we only needed to water the trees on the Green Burial Ground and in the New Memorial Wood twice.
Our little trees have grown well, we have used more than 100 tree-stakes and tubes between May and now – mostly for little trees which had outgrown their wee spiral tubes. ‘Tree-care’ certainly took up quite a bit of this summer’s work, but we’ve also done a lot (!) of gorse cutting. Keeping all paths between the Park and the (Findhorn-) village and the sea open, cutting gorse back on species rich grassland and on firebreaks are essential, routine jobs every year. Jonathan and George had finished our second compost toilet – the ‘new loo’ – in anticipation of all the groups using the shelter area.
Photo by Mark Richards
Sadly most of our planned retreats did not happen due to lack of bookings. We’ll have to do some good thinking about that in preparation for next year. The exception was Jennie Martin’s ‘plant retreat’. We opened her day to local participants and judging by the feedback it was quite successful.
Photo by Mark Richards
We did however have quite a few biggish groups on the land – The Chivas Regal volunteer day, the Forres Academy students and not to forget – the main celebration this year – the Summer Celebration which incorporated Jonathan’s 66’th birthday bash. And there have been other birthday celebrations , baby blessings, wakes after funerals, workshops etc. at the shelter space.
Photo by Mark Richards
We also had a vision quest group booking our sites, there has been a steady trickle of ‘wild campers’ on our pads, and we’ve had regular Wednesday morning volunteer days – besides the usual once-a-month Saturday morning ‘work-parties’.
We’ve put up a bell-tent to house our lovely committed volunteer Irene – as a way of exploring ‘succession’ – bringing in younger people to ‘apprentice’ with us. The next step in that direction is our planned wee ‘shepherd’s hut’ – a simple, mobile, heatable wooden structure which could house a volunteer year-round.
It’s been a good summer, and I hope many of you had the opportunity to walk the land and witness its many-faceted beauty.
I’ll finish with extracts from a poem by R. Tagore :
‘I ask for a moment’s indulgence to sit by Thy side.
The works that i have in hand
I will finish afterwards…
…
Now it is time to sit quiet
Face to face with Thee,
And to sing dedication to life
In this silent and overflowing leisure. ‘
Many blessings,
Kajedo
FHT Land Manager
Photo by Mark Richards
Photo by Mark Richards