By Ash, Oak and Thorn: the perfect cosy read for children, chosen as one of Countryfile's best books of 2021

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In her Note from the Author, she tells us that “ the only creature that’s forgotten how to communicate with the Wild World is we humans.” Thankfully her tone is never preachy or overtly political; she makes her views known clearly and firmly and you are never in doubt as to where she stands.

Oak And Ash And Thorn Chords - ULTIMATE GUITAR Oak And Ash And Thorn Chords - ULTIMATE GUITAR

The Stubborn Light of Things was nominated for the Wainwright Prize and was named as East Anglian Book of the Year. Wow. Wow. Wow. What a beautiful, profound, and hilarious story! It made me so nostalgic of my childhood, which I often spent collecting frogspawn, birdwatching and climbing trees like a feral cat… During my reading I was asking myself the obvious questions – what have we done to our planet? And why have we allowed this to happen? The book is a love letter to the earth in crisis and Melissa Harrison’s story confronts my questions, and many others, by showing us a Wild World that is disappearing at a frighteningly rapid rate and exploring mankind’s relationship with the natural world. The author never suggests that we Mortals are natural destroyers but that we are just ignorant and misguided. There are several recorded instances in Irish history in which people refused to cut an ash, even when wood was scarce, for fear of having their own cabins consumed with flame. The ash tree itself might be used in May Day ( Beltaine) rites. Under the Old Irish word nin, the ash also gives its name to the letter N in the ogham alphabet. Together with the oak and thorn, the ash is part of a magical trilogy in fairy lore. Ash seedpods may be used in divination, and the wood has the power to ward off fairies, especially on the Isle of Man. In Gaelic Scotland children were given the astringent sap of the tree as a medicine and as a protection against witch-craft. Some famous ash trees were the Tree of Uisnech, the Bough of Dathí, and the Tree of Tortu. The French poet who used Breton sources, Marie de France (late 12th century), wrote a lai about an ash tree. The Proto-Celtic for 'ash' was * * onnos; Old Irish, nin; Irish, fuinseog; Scots Gaelic, fuinnseann; Manx, unjin; Welsh, onnen; Cornish, onnen; Breton, onnenn. [4] Apple [ edit ] Along their journey, they meet lots of animals and other creatures, but also notice how much change there has been in the countryside.

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The poem was also later included in Songs from Books and DV. In both a head date of AD 1200 is added. For the tendency of elm branches to fall unexpectedly, see “An Habitation Enforced” ( Actions and Reactions p. 20, line 24), where Mrs Betts, talking of the death of old Iggulden, says: “They come down like ellum-branches in still weather. No warnin’ at all.” The autumn of 1933 is the most beautiful Edie Mather can remember. But in the fields and villages around her beloved Wych Farm the Great War still casts a shadow over a community impoverished by economic depression, and threatened by change. Change, too, is coming to Edie, who at fourteen must soon face the unsettling pressures of adulthood. Constance FitzAllen arrives from London to document fading rural traditions and beliefs, urging all who will listen to resist progress and return to the old ways — but some wonder whether there might be more to the glamorous older woman than meets the eye. As harvest approaches and the future of Wych Farm itself grows uncertain, Edie must somehow find a way to trust her instincts and save herself from disaster.

Tree Song – The Kipling Society A Tree Song – The Kipling Society

I have also been discovering a lot about my own beliefs through these little characters. Since becoming a parent I have been trying to nurture my inner child and access a long-forgotten part of myself that has faded away with the stress and challenges of being an adult in the modern world. With the simplistic eco-ism, babyish emotional lessons and mild peril it feels like much younger fare than the novel-length it’s stretched to here. The story follows the journey of three little people – Moss, Burnet and Cumulus, as they travel from the relative safety of their home in the garden of 52 Ash Row (Suburbia, Ash), to the dangers of The Hive (City, Thorn) via the springtime countryside (Oak). I am listening to the audiobook which is full of lovely nature sounds and makes the story even more magical!It's the kind of book that makes me want to go outside and try to notice and take care of every little thing surrounding me. Many types of trees found in the Celtic nations are considered to be sacred, whether as symbols, or due to medicinal properties, or because they are seen as the abode of particular nature spirits. Historically and in folklore, the respect given to trees varies in different parts of the Celtic world. On the Isle of Man, the phrase 'fairy tree' often refers to the elder tree. [1] The medieval Welsh poem Cad Goddeu (The Battle of the Trees) is believed to contain Celtic tree lore, possibly relating to the crann ogham, the branch of the ogham alphabet where tree names are used as mnemonic devices. These lyrics are based on the version performed by the Longest Johns in their livestreams; the original lyrics can be found here.