Heritage Open Days - September 10th to 12th.

It's that time again - three houses belonging to Transition Alnwick members will be open to the public. The purpose of this is to show members of the public what can be done to a 'normal' house in order to make it greener.

The three properties are all semi-detached and have had a variety of green initiatives take place within them. These include triple A rated appliances right the way through to Solar PV and solar thermal, using garden space to provide food and additional insulation.

Paul and Clare Mills house 24 The Dunterns, NE66 1AN is open on Thursday the 10^th and Saturday 12^th September.

David Farrar and Rachael Roberts’ house at 50 Swansfield Park Road is open on Friday the 11^th and Saturday the 12^th.

Karen and Martin Swinbank’s house is open on Sunday the 13^th.

All houses are open 10 until 4 and will the householders will be pleased to meet anyone who is interested in green initiatives in the home.

Appreciating Trees

We had a great time during our July Wednesday meeting which was an evening Tree Walk through woods near Alnwick Garden. Anna Corbett was very knowledgeable and pitched the information at just the right level but we also had Gill a herbalist there and others pitched in what they knew so it was a great sharing event. We looked at lots of trees such as Beech, Birch, Elder, Alder, Elm, Hawthorn etc etc and also came across many other interesting plants. We were a bit stumped at the end with a mystery tree but Anna has asked me to report that the tree was in fact a Sweet Chestnut festooned with male flowers.

We talked a lot about the uses of the Elder such as using the flowers for Elderflower champagne, Elderflower cordial and even Elderflower fritters. We had a good time in the pub afterwards and we decided that we would like to do something with Elderberries at our next Wednesday meeting in September (the second Wed of the month). So our plan is to bring our collected berries and Gill will provide the expertise and help us make Elderberry cordial. Of course this assumes the berries will be ripe then and we are optimistic about that. I'll post more information about what equipment we will need to bring on the night and of course you don't need to have been on the tree walk to join in this activity. Just bring some Elderberries if you can and if not come along and learn for the future. IF anybody has any ideas for activities you would be interested in seeing or doing over the winter than please get in touch. Also if you have anything you would like to share or take a lead in then again that would be great and we would welcome that wholeheartedly.

I was excited to see this plant as I have never seen Burdock before!

Helen and Stephen's green adventure

Hello

After a combination of being very busy moving house and bad weather, the growing was delayed somewhat! My partner and I had planned to grow many wonderful veggies, however we were just a bit too late for a lot of them. Not all was lost though, as there was still plenty we could grow. Towards the end of June we sowed beetroot, lettuce, carrots, french beans, tomatoes. We also obtained a young courgette plant ('Eight-Ball') and a butternut squash from the local garden centre, which were transplanted into grow bags.

Our garden is on the small side, and being a rented property, there is less scope for having things just the way we want. However there are still opportunities to grow your own, using pots and grow bags on the patio. Grow bags along a south-facing fence contain tomatoes, courgette and squash. Cut and come lettuces are doing really well in a somewhat high-tech 'self-watering' trough. A borrowed patch at the parents' house has been sown up with more veg!

We were a bit worried as our tomatoes developed some yellow-brown patches, which we feared were blight! However, there are many reasons for discoloration of leaves with plants like tomatoes. In this case, continual heavy showers had meant that the grow bag used to plant out the tomatoes was sodden for a long period. With no chance to feed them during the damp weather, the yellowing of the leaves was more likely due to a mineral deficiency. A liquid feed squeezed in between the showers has improved the plants' growth.

Best wishes

Helen and Stephen
 

Woodland Walk Wednesday July 20th, 7.30

The latest Transition Alnwick event

Woodland Walk

with Anna Corbett

Wednesday July 20th 7.30 - 8.30 approx

A short walk in woodland beside the river Aln. Come and explore woodland plants, from under our feet to over our heads. Identify and name them, find out about their uses, as well as stories and other tradition s associated with them.

Bring suitable outdoor clothing and footwear - be prepared for weather!

All welcome, meet at the Denwick bridge at 7.30 which is north west of the garden on the B1340 road to Denwick.

There is no parking there so you should perhaps think about parking in Alnwick and walking. (its about 5 mins walk from the entrance to the garden)

We are hoping to finish the evening with a refreshing drink in a local tavern.

As you may know we are having regular monthly meetings on the second Wednesday of the month usually at the St James Church Centre in Alnwick. Next definate meeting will be Wednesday September 14th at 7.30pm. but watch this space for August event.

Fuel poverty and the Green deal

an event organised by Alnwick Friends of the Earth

As well as Rt Hon Suralan Beith, we are pleased to welcome Newcastle University lecturers Rose Gilroy and Neveen Hamza who will talk about their research into the causes of fuel poverty and people's experience of it, especially older people. We'll be looking in a non-technical way, at the government's proposals to tackle fuel poverty and reduce emissions from people's homes through the Energy Bill. We'll also be looking at the particular issues around housing in Northumberland. If you or someone you know lives in a cold home, do come and warm your hands on the heated debate.

There'll be plenty of chance to ask questions, share experiences and challenge your elected representative on his position.

This will take place on 1st April at 7.30 at St James Church Centre, Pottergate, Alnwick.

Admission is £1 and refreshments will be provided.

Working with Willow Weekend, February 2011

On a cold and foggy Sunday morning in February - just the day for snuggling up with the spring gardening catalogues - I dug out my secateurs, loppers and a sharp knife and set off for a day of Working with Willow. This event was the idea of organic gardener and designer, Anna Corbett, who contacted Transition Alnwick to drum up some willing folk curious to learn more about using willow and other trees and shrubs for garden structures - and help her harvest the willows in her garden.

Five souls had braved the equally drich weather on the previous day and apparently enjoyed their day pruning the bendy yellow withies and learning how to fashion them into useful supports for sweet peas or runner beans.

After some reviving coffee and chocolate cake and a browse through some catalogues tempting us with ideas both whimsical and down to earth, the Sunday contingent - just four of us including Anna - got stuck into lopping branches and sorting them into 3 groups by diameter, the largest about 2 cms.

We each opted for a simple conical "wigwam" design and set to work choosing branches - largest for the 8 uprights, thinner ones for weaving into garlands around the supports and skinny ones to bind the top garland and secure the point of convergence at the apex. Selecting my eight supports, with instructions from Anna I started gently bending each of the branches back and forth to make them flexible before digging them into Anna's lawn in a circle ready for action (scope maybe for a future course on remedial lawn care?) Apparently even the experts can't always avoid breaking the branches during the bending process, so I was prepared but disappointed when some of my carefully worked stems snapped on me. (Watch out you willowy fashion models!)

I then began making the first of my garlands, weaving eight slender branches in and out of alternate supports horizontally at three points the length of the structure to give stability. Finally, the top of the uprights were secured with the thinnest stems. I decided not to cut the lengths of willow garden and I can always trim them later. We were all pleased with our efforts and stood back to admire an enjoyable day's work (see photos). Anna warned us to dry to structures thoroughly preferably indoors or they would root themselves.

Now I look forward to planting some sweet peas around my graceful wigwam and watching them twine up the beautiful red and yellow stems of Anna's willows. A day well spent and much enjoyed. Thank you Anna.

PS There's a lovely traditional ballad called The Bitter Withy which I hope is not prophetic, the last verse of which goes:

Oh bitter withy, oh bitter withy

You've caused me to smart,

And the withy shall be the very first tree

To perish at the heart.

Elizabeth Anderson

Skill sharing ideas

Following on from Paul's post we want to know how you'd like to be involved, what you'd like to learn or what skill you would like to improve to reduce your carbon emissions and reliance on oil.

Can you brew, harvest, reap, sew, mend, bake, knit, knot, build, design, generate, cook, preserve, grow, plant, reuse, repair, construct, sow, forage, paint, pot, weave, restore, dance, dig, pickle, sing, play, create etc?

Would you be willing to share that skill with others?

Activities could be for a few people in a kitchen, garden, garage, shed or workshop or we can organise a larger venue for a bigger group - they can be one off or regular activities.

Let us know what you'd like to learn or how you could get involved - add your ideas here - however big or small.