We’ve had a lovely start to this term’s Under the Canopy at Hollybush Conservation Centre.

We’ve looked at sticks and twigs, and spent some time drawing them with charcoal, tracing their shadows on paper. We then had a go at doing the same thing with oak gall ink. There were four different oak gall concoctions to try and we learnt about the different galls you can find in the UK. We added ferrous sulphate (rusty nail water) and used brushes and dips pens to make marks.

Gienia “in the first session we drew sticks with charcoal. I brought one from Cumbria, as a reminder of a close encounter with a red squirrel as a birthday treat. The stick was fragile so I strengthened it by wrapping, then hung items I’d found after the canopy session. It’s hung up at home, a constant reminder of happy times!”

We had matcha latte for our drink of the week and Matthew shared a short story called ”The Bundle of Sticks’ from Aesop’s Fables, along with a poem about the history of ink. We had a think about different uses for sticks and Matthew turned them into a poem.

Stick in the mud

Stick in the mud.

Where did it come from? What could it be for?

Is it just a fallen twig or is it something more?

This stick is for making dens, woven shelters in the woods, the perfect size for Brownies.

This stick is for building floating rafts, a way across the river for a guide troupe – if the risk assessment will allow it, these days!

This stick is a flagpole – a pole to hoist a nightie on – an improvised flag at a camp in Toronto, stolen from a leader’s cabin.

This stick is for making mud pies up the street – the tarry black path where we dug for mud as children.

This stick is a record – a reminder – a souvenir of a birthday encounter with a fearless red squirrel.

This stick is for throwing in the river to see who can throw the farthest on childhood days of freedom, when mum allowed us out.

This stick is for making wands at women’s circle, a personal totem that sits beside the sofa, decorated with wool and shells and other natural stuff.

This stick is for leaning on – a memory of a father-in-law long gone, decorated with little shields, seaside mementos, badges from Bridlington.

This stick is for skewering a chipolata on – for grilling over an open fire at cub-camp.

This stick is for playing Pooh Sticks on the bridge at Golden Acre, first with children, then with grandchildren.

This stick is for scraping pictures in the beach-sand or making marks in oak gall ink on fresh white paper.

This stick is the beginning of a fire – one to rub against another on a cold night to bring some warmth.

This stick is just a fallen twig, but it is so much more.

A multi-purpose tool – a gift – just waiting on the floor.

We then had a go at making our own ink, by crushing some galls, acorns and teabags, adding rainwater and iron solution.

We’ve bottled and labelled our ink ‘potions’ and creating a turmeric emulsion to coat sheets of paper ready for anthotype printing!

Anthotype prints sunbathing in Anne’s garden!

Yvonne commented she’d “had great fun last week as it was International day of the Bluebird so we each made one and hung them in the tree!  I suggested we listen to Wings playing ‘Bluebird’ which no-one had heard before!  Beautiful song. Then we all sung ‘White cliffs of Dover’ together which was quite moving.”

We’ve also made and played woodland games – Hoopla,  Bagatelle and an Apple stacking challenge

Drink of the week was turmeric latte, drunk whilst listening to a Native American story about how bluebird and coyote got their colours, some bluebird-themed poems and sang “There’ll Be Bluebirds Over The White Cliffs Of Dover”.

We also marvelled at a beautiful family of swans on the banks of the canal.

  

Some lovely closeups by Sarah

And a wonderful wreath made by Gienia using locally foraged fruits and foliage during one of our weeks off..