Tiny Living UK MAY

ISSN 2631-326X

MAY 2019

Live Small Dream Big!

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Contents 3 07 09 The Alchemy of Days … Page

Wild Horses … Page

At Ground Level … Page

Published by: Tiny Living Productions Ltd, Glasgow UK Editor: Pamela Palongue Design by: Gilmour Graphics Email: info@tinylivingmagazine.co.uk On the cover: Summer reisdence Photograph by Hogogo

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The Alchemy of Days

Photograph by Bryony Whistlecraft

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years-old, her mother allotted her some space for a small garden and she began her journey of learning with “Culpepper’s Complete Herbal”, the revered guide to plant medicines since 1652.

As a child she enjoyed reading the works of Tamora Pierce, an author who wrote of a fantasy land called Tortall, by the Emerald Sea. Ali confesses, “At that age I was always more interested in potions and perfumes”. But her love for herb gardening matured into a full-fledged herbal practice, in which she dispenses natural remedies to help clients with a plethora of ailments. She is a great believer in the integration of today’s knowledge with ancient herbal wisdom, and sometimes writes to her clients’ doctors to prevent drug interactions. She also stresses that it’s very important to consult a local herbalist that can meet with you in person. (Eyes, skin and even one’s bearing can provide important clues to imbalances) On 30th May, Ali will have her own book released, “Wild Medicine – Summer”. This will be the first of three books that will detail which herbs may be harvested in the months of May through August. Organising the herbs by season, makes it much easier to use, rather than sorting through an entire book of plants to find which are currently available. The book contains recipes and photographs for identification of plants, and comes in a handy size, small enough for your pocket. It will be available from Amazon, and also Aeon Books, www.aeonbooks.co.uk

In Lincolnshire there is a garden cottage, where a young woman lives according to the rhythm of the seasons, creating her art, jewelry and fabrics that are a reflection of the world outside her window.

One could easily add alchemist to her list of skills, as Ali has taken thrift shop bits and bobs and long-forgotten furniture, weaving them masterfully into an enchanting place where the past, present and future seem to come together on one plane of existence. It’s a fairy tale world that’s she’s created here, for herself, her partner and three Siamese felines.

As within, so without - just beyond her cottage door, the garden thrives with vegetables and herbs which she uses for her preparations for clients. These will eventually reside in the apothecary jars that line an ancient-looking cabinet, which keeps the herbs and tinctures close at hand.

Though she only graduated from the University of Lincoln a decade ago, she seems an old soul. Long before she completed her degree in herbalism, she had a love for the natural world and growing herbs. When she was just 13

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If you are lucky enough to have your own garden space and would like to plant herbs, Ali recommends not planting anything for a year. Watch the native plants to see where the sunlight falls in the different seasons, where water collects and where it is dry. Then plant according to the natural patterns of the land itself. She has intentionally left about half of her land wild, to provide habitat for birds, animals and insects.

If you live in the city, but would like to try herbal gardening, calendula is a great plant to try your hand at. It grows well in pots, is hearty and is a good all-around herb for minor cuts and scrapes.

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Unfortunately, not everyone can live in the country, being replenished by the natural world every day. But you can create a space that reflects nature in every corner, without spending a lot of money. One way to recreate the look of bringing the outside indoors, is with stencilling.

Ali has painted the walls of her cottage the dark green of the forest, and highlighted it with stencil-painted leaves, trees and birds. The stencilling has also spilled over onto the furniture pieces and fabrics, and animal and faerytale art adorns the walls and shelves, along with silk greenery and garlands used to highlight mantles and corners. If you’ve no time for refinishing old furniture, Ali recommends throwing an attractive piece of fabric over it until you have time to work with it. She also says, “Don’t be afraid to move things around and experiment with it”. A living space should evolve with the people and animals living in it.

Ali creates her own fabric by hand drawing the pattern on acrylic paper, and then painting with watercolours, acrylics, and pen and ink to create layers of effects.

The pattern is then transferred to a computer programme, which can reproduce the pattern in whatever size needed, from a single metre to a hundred! She also creates beautiful wall hangings by painting on fabrics, and then using an iron to permanently meld the paint and the material together.

Her jewelry is created from labradorite and beading which she makes by hand. All of her fabrics, jewelry and artwork are available on her Etsy shop at Eldrum and Redwolf.

Her partner designs beautiful knives for foraging and bushcraft at his blacksmith forge, and his work can also be found here.

Ali also has workshops for learning more about herbalism and its uses, along with 1 to 1 teaching sessions available, and consultations.

For more inspiration on living in harmony with nature, visit Ali’s websites. For her art portfolio, visit www.eldwolf.co.uk. For herbal and lifestyle information, www.eldrum.co.uk.

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Wild Horses A horse and rider is a beautiful thing to watch, but perhaps they look their most beautiful running free in the field – just running because they want to, and just because they’re horses.

Please forgive the title. It’s a bit of a misnomer and probably just stems from a romantic notion of mustangs roaming wild – and a fondness for The Rolling Stones song of the same name.

According to scientists, wild horses native to Great Britain are no more. There are however free-roaming horses, or ponies that are feral, and live as their wild cousins once did. (The difference between a horse and a pony is height, with a horse measuring at least 4 feet 10 inches, or 14.2 hands. Equines shorter than this are known as ponies).

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Although these horses have domesticated genes, they should not be approached. They are not for riding, but are a great help to farmers with grazing hillsides and other wild areas. These “wild” ponies should also not be fed, which would make them dependent on human beings. The farmers who technically own them, keep a watchful eye on them to make sure they are healthy and getting enough to eat.

In some areas, they are part of a protected nature preserve.

The below listings are some areas where you can visit the ponies and see them in their natural habitat, but it is by no means an exhaustive list.

Photograph by Adrian Perkins

The New Forest Ponies The New Forest is located in Hampshire and Wiltshire, not too far from Southampton. It was made a royal forest

by William the Conqueror in 1079 by proclamation, and has been a National Park since 2005. The New Forest Ponies who reside there are as ancient as the land they inhabit, having lived here for about 2,000 years. They number about 5,000 and are a recognised native mountain and moorland breed of Great Britain. To plan a visit to this wonderful park and see them in person, visit www.thenewforest.co.uk

The Welsh Carneddau Ponies These ponies can be found roaming the Carneddau Mountains of Snowdonia, Wales. Beautiful to watch, they are a unique and rare breed of pony, as established by genetic researchers at Aberystwyth University in 2013.

They are as rugged as the land they graze, but sadly, only about 200 are thought to still exist. You can see them at Snowdonia National Park, a lovely place to visit in a beautiful unspoilt natural area. Visit www.snowdonia.gov.wales

The Shetland Ponies

Photograph by Hajotthu

Probably the most famous breed of pony in the world is the Shetland. This adorable, and deceptively strong pony was used for work in the coal mines in the 19th century. They have survived for over 4,000 years! Today many of them roam the hills of Shetland in freedom, grazing pasture land.

Although many Shetland ponies have been domesticated, those grazing along the roadside should be regarded as wild.

To see them in their natural habitat, visit www.shetland.org

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At Ground Level

Andreea’s journey of self-discovery has led her to help children and young people through a Community Interest Company (CIC) which she is currently establishing called Earthkeepers.

As with many positive transformations, Andreea’s new path toward a healthier life began with a bump in the road. She and her ex-partner had been living in a three bedroom house with a big garden. When they decided to part ways, Andreea took the opportunity to downsize.

She reflected seriously on how much space within the large house she actually spent time in, and realised she didn’t really need all that space. She realised that it took

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lots of time to clean, and was very expensive to heat.

She found that she was quite happy living in a smaller space, and actually decided to downsize again – this time to a showman’s wagon with even less space.

She also discovered that living small, pushes you outdoors more, and that she was spending more time in nature which felt very grounded and healthy.

“It’s almost like it should have been this way all along.

It feels so much more comfortable - like a pressure was lifted off of me”.

Having worked with children for years as a social worker, she began to see where this type of experience could benefit kids who are having trouble fitting in, being bullied, and dealing with emotional challenges.

This led to a vision for helping kids, which in turn led to a plan, which resulted in Earthkeepers. Kids are reconnected with nature through horticultural therapy and animal care.

The participants will be aged from 11 to 21 years old, learn food-growing practices, animal care, bush craft and woodland skills in Greencare courses that range from 12 weeks to two years.

Photograph by Michael Barera

Andreea herself has studied Social and Therapeutic Horticulture through Coventry University, and she will begin to receive young people into the Earthkeepers programme at a 3-acre plot of land in Suffolk.

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In order to be close to the land that she will be tending, she has had a special truck constructed, which has been named ‘Ruby Rose’, which will be her mobile office and home. The Ruby Rose is built from recycled parts, and reclaimed wood by Matt Banks of Touchwood Carpentry.

It will be both home and transportation for the next several months for Andreea and her adorable dog, Loki.

Much like a conventional motorhome, the 22 foot truck has a water closet and shower, and a loft space for sleeping. It is designed with a dining table/work space, that ingeniously slides out from under the bed for eating, and then tucks neatly away when not in use. There is also a fully-equipped kitchen and a projector screen that drops down for movie night!

The truck is a bright, comfortable space with lots of natural daylight, thanks to shatterproof windows that have been installed, including a large porthole window.

The truck will provide a safe, comfortable home while she works to help kids who need it most. “Young people need the opportunity to connect with nature”, says Andreea.

Through Earthkeepers, they will learn the true value of land, and the plants and creatures that dwell upon it. For more information on Earthkeepers, visit their website at www.earthkeepers.org.uk Photographs by Aeron Jenkins and India Crawford Scott

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