Pine Marten Post #13

                July 18, 2024

            Pine Marten Post #13

            Hello lovely person!
July japes for you include; wonderful watering, fantastical fragrance, chonky chocolate, magnificent meadowsweet, countryside capers, and a birthday rollover
Gardening tips for July
Watering. Now, hear me out on this one. I know that some areas have had loads of rain, but the dense summer foliage of your potted plants may well be creating an umbrella effect. 
So it’s really worth poking your fingers into the soil of any container plants you have to see if they’re as saturated as you might expect.
If they’re dry, then it’s best to give them a thorough soaking. Until you can see water trickling out of the base of the pot——yes, that much. That way you’ll know that no nutrients have got lodged part way down the compost, which could scorch the roots.
Watering can be a chore sometimes if, like me, you don’t have a hosepipe or an outdoor tap. But I’m learning to see it as an opportunity to switch off from working, and slowly drift around the garden breathing in the mingled fragrances.
Fragrant musings from the library of scent: Pony Boy by Jorum Studio
Snuggled away on a quiet cobbled street in Stockbridge, Edinburgh, Jorum Studio offers some mindbendingly exciting perfumes.
Full disclosure: I am a HUGE fan of Jorum Studio perfumes. Refined, distinctive and creatively courageous, they are wearable works of art.
Pony Boy is a perfume of contradictions. Initially bright and juicily sharp with rhubarb and pink grapefruit zest, then it puffs soft white flowers at you, trailing ribbons of musk, vetiver and cedar.
Like eating the most mouthwatering and refreshing fruit salad while lounging on lusciously squidgy down-filled cushions covered in crisp white linen, gauzy muslin curtains wafting in the gentle sea breeze and filtering the dazzling summer light.
This, to me, is a perfect perfume for hot and humid days when you crave a burst of something bright and crisp, but without any spiky corners. It’s a hard act to pull off; sharp and fresh, but also hazy and diffuse. But then Euan McCall, the perfumer, is a dab hand at unexpected combinations and creating fascinating illusions in fragrance.
The Scottish Odyssey range inside Jorum Studio. Ranging from deep and darkly smoky to bright and vivacious, this selection is a great place to start your Jorum adventures.
If you want your perfume to entrance, enthrall, and mess with your head just a tiny bit, I can’t recommend Jorum’s perfumes enough.
Featured bean-to-bar chocolate: Waitrose Belgian white chocolate
Taking a wee break in the garden is a wonderful thing to do. Especially when you live in Scotland, you need to grab these opportunities with both hands. Please feel free to admire my majestic Rory Dobner mug——quite want this design as a tattoo.
⭐Mellow and creamy 
⭐Rich with vanilla 
⭐Smooth and chunky
Another Waitrose chocolate bar using Tony’s Open Sourced ingredients. This definitely packs a punch in the sugar stakes, but sometimes that’s just what you need, isn’t it?
Nature notes for the month
Intoxicating wild honeysuckle threads its way through this ancient hedge of beech and hawthorn. You can just see the mountains of Arran in the distance.
Warm, warm, soft summer breeze
blackbirds pinking
hare binkying
rosy breasted linnet looks down from its high, high perch
lanes thick with the soapy, spicy foam of meadowsweet
swifts screaming, their wings scything
wild honeysuckle twines and twists and twines some more
breathing its sweet, sweet scent into the evening air

Random Scottish fact: What’s the right to roam in Scotland?
Shafts of summer light scatter over the distant mountains of Arran
“In Scotland, people have traditionally been able to freely access and enjoy the outdoors, but up until 2003 it wasn’t actually part of Scotland’s laws.  Now, people in Scotland have the right of responsible access to almost anywhere in Scotland provided they follow the Scottish Outdoor Access Code.” - Paths for All
But in England, the story is very different. Only 8% of England’s land area is accessible to walkers - most of which are very remote and hard to reach, unless you have a car - according to Right to Roam.
On the other hand, there’s concern from some farmers in England that because more cereal crops are grown there, fields are more prone to damage (littering and gates being left open are the most common concerns) than in Scotland where there’s an emphasis on livestock farming.
What are your thoughts?
💚Birthday freebie rollover 💚
Please don’t be shy. In exchange for your feedback about this newsletter, I’d be thrilled to offer one person a completely free Silver Pear garden chat.
All you need to do is let me know what you’d like to see more of or less of here. No catch, honestly. Then I’ll pick the most helpful suggestion. 
And if your garden is completely sorted (lucky you!) it’s fine to offer it to someone else.
Over on LinkedIn:
Who am I, and what do I do?
Simple ways to manage stress
⭐ As always, all wonky photos and words are by me, Rowan Ambrose. Except for the image of Jorum Studio interior, by Imogen Oakes. And any products are paid for in full by me too ⭐

            I'd love to hear about what sensory experiences bring you joy.
Feel free to reply to this email, or you can message me on Instagram or LinkedIn.

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