AUGUST MUSINGS
Seasonal stories and notable happenings from the team behind Ochre Botanical Studios.
Thank you for joining us here!
It’s been 6 months since I last wrote to you, when we were still donning our heavy corduroys and tinkering with snowdrops. It seems like a lifetime ago, and yet so do the Olympic Games and they were only at the start of this month…
Oh August. It promises to be one of the warmest summer months and a chance to really soak up the sunny rays before we roll into autumn’s gentle embrace. We certainly experienced some glorious long summer days in Edinburgh this month, with the flowers finally getting in their stride after an impossibly slow start. But we are greedy for warmth and the sunny days seemed to be only peppered through many more of the blustery, grey and drizzly variety.
A friend recently shared an excerpt about this point in the summer when the warmth leaves the days; when a noticeable chill hangs in the air in the early mornings and the evenings close in around us much earlier than we’ve become accustomed to… Here at the end of August, these things are certainly ringing true.
Edinburgh is abuzz with festival-related activity in August. It can be a divisive month, with some folk embracing this access to world-class performances, comedy and the arts, and others completely avoiding it for the traffic jams, slow-moving pavements littered with gawking tourists and literal overflowing bins it causes. It tends to be a relatively quiet time in the Ochre diary with many of our August engagements taking place outside the city itself, and as such it often provides a chance to take a little break after the busy months of May, June and July as Claire mentioned in her newsletter last month.
August was a topsy-turvy month for my household. For reasons that aren’t important, we weren’t able to be home for several weeks this month and spent our time moving between the homes of very generous friends who were away on their holidays or stashed into a little bolthole in the Borders, chipping away at our work whilst trying to make sure our quite anxious dog felt at home. (Mack’s favourite type of holiday is a staycation).
To tackle the general feeling of untethered-ness, we leaned into the restorative powers of nature by going on many tranquil, calm and inspiring walks around the areas we were staying in – our borrowed neighbourhoods. We are so lucky that Edinburgh has such an amazing network of cycle paths and green spaces, with access to the sea or countryside only a short drive or bus ride away. If you find your mind is in a muddle, I would encourage you to seek out one of these places. There is nothing like a chorus of early morning birdsong or a pleasantly burbling burn to tone down the voices in your head, at least for a moment.
As a florist, I am often looking at the colours and shapes that I see along the way on these walks, taking inspirationg, mentally earmarking snippable things and viewing the world through what I call my ‘foraging googles.’ (I really have to make a concerted effort not to do this while driving!) I know someone who swears by large supermarket carparks for providing an excellent forager’s larder, and another who frequents a certain train station back alleyway that always providith (you both know who you are).
PSA – If you do decide to do a bit of foraging yourself, remember to be very demure, very mindful and very respectful. Only take what you really need and make sure you follow the recommended foraging guidelines in the country that you’re in. Here are some Responsible Foraging Guidelines in the UK.
Plants are visual indicators of where we are in the year so we love the magic that a hedgerow berry, textural seed head or a turning elder leaf can add to a design. Working seasonally means that the flowers we might use that day, that week, that month are those that are flowering exactly then and, in this way, reflect a special little moment in time.
One other way I find I can calm any pangs of inner restlessness is by sitting down to make something. To touch the flowers, look at their shapes and concentrate on trying to capture their character, their essence, really focuses my mind. I generally pop on some gentle music or a podcast and make something for no real reason, with no specific outcome in mind. Below are the results of one such exercise.
Perhaps you’ll take your own stroll down a cycle path or coastal walk or country lane and see what goodies you can find to make into a gentle, seasonal arrangement of your own. A little moment in time, made just for you. I hope you do.
Some nice discoveries I made this month on my travels (spoiler, they’re mostly food-related)
HOLY CRUST PIZZA NIGHTS, CAFE MILK
Freshly made pizza and £5 negronis in the casual atmosphere of Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop, what’s not to like?
CARFRAE FARM SHOP, EAST LOTHIAN
When you’re carting your very limited pantry around with you in the car (or even if you’re not), their shelves full of delicious local and Scottish produce are manna from heaven.
THE MAINSTREET TRADING COMPANY, ST BOSWELLS
A treasure trove of excellent books, covetable home goodies, and before you ask, yes they have a cafe and deli to boot! An excellent place to while away an afternoon in the Borders.
By golly, I was not ready for the beauty of these gardens. August was the perfect time to immersive oneself in their undulating ornamental borders. I particularly enjoyed the Tapestry Garden. You have to buy a ticket to visit, but you could easily spend a whole day there exploring, and you guessed it, they have not one but two cafes to choose from!
Speak again soon...
