Rose, GUELDER Rose

and even apples have time (TNJ9)

Bunny and Hazel visited the nursery on Thursday. Hazel wore amazing boots and I called her Guelder Rose. I reckon she would have made a good character in that Tom Robbins book Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, a tree loving cowgirl.

We read Apple Seed aloud, by Jessica Traynor from Women and Nature. And talked about different species having their own time. Bunny talked about making crab apple jam and how back in the day bread and jam was your treat.

I had collected some crab apples from a coastal location and reckoned they would be pretty hardy. I got to work with a pocket knife and Hazel used her hands, revealing 3-4 pips in each wee bruised green ball. I hadn’t collected that much, assuming they might have more to give. We stood back and admired the modest collection of seed in the plastic lunch box. It was a quick task which left us with more time. Everything takes its own time, apples have apple time. The lunch box blew over and what little pips we had went onto the grass. We did get to sowing about a dozen or so. Time will tell if they decide to come out. If anything our efforts were hilarious. Apples have apple time.

We made room in the nursery for the fish boxes we had sown at the previous Sunday market. We moved the Yew cuttings into more sun and decided to put the boxes that had seed needing to be stratified in the shade. When we would stop to natter and express ideas Bunny would concentrate on weeding. We hadn’t decided to weed but that’s what Bunny does with Bunny time. The boxes were heavy but 3 women and a wheelbarrow got the job done. Two with a box, one with a wheelbarrow. A reshuffling of our arrangement occurred and a break near the top of the hill. I removed a layer of wool and let the sun on my arms. It had been raining non stop for 2 weeks with a few blessed days with some bit of relief.

We sowed some hazel on a mix of mostly compost and sand, then topped with the same mix and followed with sand. Hazel had collected them from the permaculture college at Kinsale. I have specific memories of those trees; early pregnancy and autumn winds blowing the lime green leaves, easing closeted morning sickness. I have a theory that no hazel were to be found at Myross due to the lack of oak. The critters beat me to them as their wasn’t much in terms of winter stores. Otherwise, my severe shortsightedness is gone beyond prescription.

Bunny and Hazel are mother and daughter. Hazel is many things and like myself her work is now grounded in permaculture. I really admire her work as an illustrator and her drive towards connection and just making space for meaningful activity to happen. Bunny works with a community group on horticulture projects and is a purposeful carer. They work well together.

We covered the boxes in some chicken wire and noticed gaps where the mice would get in. This was followed by a bit of jigging and clipping, with nothing working. Until Bunny triumphantly placed stones on the particular areas, blocking the potential thieves entrance.

This week we will get to some weeding and hoeing and clearing space for the leaf mulch composter. Lets hope the nice weather holds.