West Adderbury is not short on community spirit, experience and talent. So why not share your stories, photos, questions and anything else which you think the West Adderbury Community would love. Email your contributions to share@westadderbury.org
Let us know if you woud like us to publish your name and address with your contribution, or if you would prefer to be known only as a West Adderbury neighbour. We do not store, pass on or make use of any personal information.
Green alkanet seems to be everywhere in West Adderbury this spring!
This plant was originally a native of south west Europe, but was introduced into British gardens around 1700. Its bright blue flowers are very popular with pollinators such as bees and butterflies. Pentaglottis sempervirens is a bristly plant with a deep taproot, which makes it difficult to completely eradicate from gardens. Its green leaves appear in late winter and very early spring, hence the name “green” and “sempervirens” (always alive). The word “alkanet” comes from the Arabic word for henna. According to various websites, the flowers of green alkanet are apparently edible and are sometimes used to decorate salads. In the past, the roots were used to make a deep red dye.
A lovely bit of pine cone art spotted by a West Adderbury resident on a daily walk in the woods!
Adderbury Meeting House, 1675
So still we sat in cold grey light,
Alongside those we did not know.
Strangers come in from the snow
To share worship and a seat with
Friends they’d yet to meet.
Alone together in silent prayer
Breathing in the same chill air.
As darkness fell on wood’s dull shine
We settled down with one design,
To listen to our thoughts.
Not easy in the soporific air
The hiss and putter of a gas flame
Flaring in the draft.
Everything so dim and bare
But what mattered was being there.
Beyond the whip of icy winds
Safe and calm, beyond all harm.
Surrounded by historic walls
Still set fair and square
Though built in sixteen seventy five
They’ve withstood time and still survive.
Numbed on unforgiving pews
Offered hot bricks we can’t refuse
To try to thaw our feet.
Meanwhile minds warm
To higher tasks –
Mindfulness, contemplation, meditation,
Solace for the soul.
And so our single hour unwound
And bound us closer to the unknown.
A congregation muffled in winter coats
And scarves curled round like kittens,
Furry hats and woolly mittens.
Kindness in communion
Sharing human warmth,
A sense of self melting
Into a larger whole –
And greater identity.
Silence speaking volumes
Intimate as intercourse.
In this common purpose
Where none impose, each grows.
More complete, more sure
That all is as intended,
And that which was broken, mended.
No need to fret or fear,
It is our right to be here
Alone together, breathing softly
Listening to a flame,
While drawing closer
To the light that shines within.
Creating space to grow in kindness
A place where every meeting
Ends in greeting –
And a new beginning.
Adderbury Meeting House, March 2018
Laurie Mayer, Henge Close