Pine Marten Post #30
Hello lovely person!
December delights include; feeding feathered friends, silvery scent, zesty chocolate, Bernard the blue tit, and the importance of making time for yourself.
Gardening tips for December
Feeding garden birds can get very expensive, very quickly. Once word gets around that there are tasty niblets to be had in your garden, you’ll have all kinds of wee visitors clamouring outside your windows. So, how do you make it more affordable?
Well, I’ve started making my own bird food. After lots of research to identify what birds can and can’t eat, I’ve made a fabulous kind of muesli mix. It’s mainly different kinds/sizes of oats blended with Atora suet (they love both beef and vegetarian kinds in our garden) plus a couple of handfuls of shelled sunflower seeds and mealworms. And though it’s not exactly cheap, it’s more economical than ready made mixes that are often loaded with not-very-nutritionally-valuable filler.
It’s worth mentioning that garden birds can also eat leftover scraps of pasta, rice and potatoes, along with crumbs of cheese and anything bread/cake/biscuit-based in small amounts.
All birds need access to fresh water for drinking and bathing, even in very cold weather. So a shallow dish regularly refreshed with clean water, and thawed when frozen will really help them out.
Window feeders attached with suction cups are great for close up viewing of these beauties. So you don’t need a garden to fix one on some glass and enjoy a little bit of bird meditation. Could you pop one on your present list?
Fragrant musings from the library of scent: Lunar Dust by Mabelle O’Rama
Darker evenings means you can admire the moon rising earlier. Her shimmering face glows through a gauzy veil of tattered clouds whipped by the wind. A silver disc of bright loveliness gazes benevolently over the land.
She shines tranquilly over a harvest mouse munching a bedtime bramble. Then dusts the velvet wings of a bat emerging like a flake of night from a ruined castle. And gently illuminates your face as you gaze adoringly up at her.
Some perfumes are much more about how they make you feel, rather than a hollow list of notes. Lunar Dust is one of them. To be sure, there are twinkles of bergamot, a breath of iris and a supple backbone of subtle amber woods, but the overall effect is one of timeless gentle comfort and optimism. Simply marvellous.
Nature notes for December
Bernard the Blue Tit’s schedule
The outside of the top floor of our house is hung with tiles. Small, seaweed coloured and not particularly beautiful. They also have gaps between them. Tiny gaps the wind whistles and sings through when it’s from the south west, but sometimes groans and screams through when there’s a storm.
And insinuating himself in one of those cosy nooks is Bernard the Blue Tit. I can hear Bernard from my bed, while I’m savouring my fragrant first brew of the day. Tiny little wing stretches scrape against the inside of the wall, just as the sky begins to lighten, but the exact time depends on the cloud cover that day.
After 10 seconds or so of avian callisthenics, Bernard emerges from between the tiles like an arrow from a bow. Wings slicked back and beak set determinedly, he shoots through the freezing, squally air to break his fast on the silvery tufts of the willow tree.
7:52 today.
Featured bean-to-bar chocolate: Zotter Amalfi Lemon and Sage Marzipan 70% cocoa
Josef Zotter’s done it again. The Willy Wonka of Styria, Austria has a deliciously deft touch when it comes to combining flavours and textures.
Here, the paper thin dark chocolate’s wrapped around soft, slightly grainy marzipan, so you can feel the snap of high cocoa chocolate and then the pillowy softness of the hidden treasure inside.
But it’s not a sickly marzipan, oh no. Bright with zingy lemon and delicate menthol notes from the sage, this is a bar that demands more than one wee piece. Mmm, don’t mind if I do…
Wellbeing tip for December
This time of year can be very challenging. And there’s a lot we might not have choices about; what we eat, who we see, and how we spend any days off we might have.
But however squeezed your time is, please try to carve out a little bit just for you. What would lift you up, bring you joy and fill your cup? It’ll look different for everyone.
How about lighting a beeswax candle and snuggling up with a book under a soft, woolly blanket? Or a brisk walk with friends, getting gloriously muddy? Big art galleries can be very quiet right now, so could you lose yourself in peaceful contemplation for an hour or so?
All that matters is you do something that’s your choice. It’s not selfish, I promise you. You’ll feel so much more like yourself afterwards.
Bonus perfume link:
My perfumer pal, Michael Nordstrand, recently gave a lecture at the Getty Institute about recreating a 3,000 year old perfume from Pylos, Greece. It’s absolutely fascinating.
On the blog and LinkedIn:
⭐ As always, all wibbly words and images are by me, Rowan Ambrose. The chocolate was paid for by me, and the perfume was very kindly gifted by the brand. Thanks for being here—I really appreciate your time! ⭐