On the final day of November, and with Christmas rapidly approaching, the Holly, the Ivy and the Mistletoe are bursting with berries. It seemed appropriate to give them a platform today.
And I thought I'd include this little oddity too - a variegated Holly leaf with only one spike, bless it.
I wrote a lot more about Holly here, Ivy here and Mistletoe here.
It's St Andrew's Day today which, with him being patron saint of Scotland, probably means very little to most people here on the Chiltern Hills. But not so to those at Eton College where the famous private school holds its most important sporting event of the year.
We're talking about the Eton Wall Game.
If you didn't know, Windsor and Eton are almost one large town, separated by the River Thames. And, confusingly, the college gives its address as Windsor when it's in Eton.
But if you think that's confusing ...
The Eton Wall Game was supposedly invented in 1841 by errant Kings Scholars (pupils who live in College) who were bored and wanted a new way to spend their limited free time. The rules were first written down in 1849 and have subsequently been revised several times - the most recent 6th revision was made in 2001. The Wall Game has elements that resemble both football and rugby but mostly looks like nothing else. It is also a notoriously physical game.
The game is played on a strip of ground 5 metres wide and 110 metres long ('The Furrow') next to a slightly curved brick wall ('The Wall'). The Wall was built in 1717 and traces the B3022 road between Slough and Eton.
Here's how the game is described on the Eton College website:
'The game revolves around the Bully, which could be described as a clump of players pressed against the Wall. This mass of boys is supported, on each side, by three positions: a Fly, Long and Lines, who become particularly crucial if the ball ever breaks out of the Bully. Whilst the ball can be moved up and down the Wall by kicking it, in truth most movement occurs due to penalties.'
'To score a point, the ball needs to be moved into Calx (a location situated at the very edge of each end of the Wall), raised up against the Wall and then touched by a member of the attacking team. The player then shouts ‘Got it!’ and, if the umpire agrees, he responds ‘Given’ and a point is awarded. This point is known as a Shy, and allows the attacking team a chance at a Goal (which is far rarer).'
Goals are as rare as hen's teeth apparently and there was once a run of over a hundred years where none were scored.
The wall game is also played on Ascension Day, immediately after a 6am service on the roof of College Chapel. Various scratch matches are also played throughout the Michaelmas and Lent Halves (terms), where boys from different year groups, as well as masters, take part.
If you'd like to read the full rules of the Wall Game, you can do so here.
The complexity and jargon associated with the game instantly reminded me of Guyball (pronounced 'Ghee ball') - a wholly fictitious sport played (and probably invented) by anaesthetist Guy Secretan (Stephen Mangan) in the TV hospital comedy Green Wing.
The rules of Guyball - though never fully explained - are just as joyously bonkers as the Eton Wall Game. The object of the game, according to Guy, is simply 'to put the ball into the basket'. The basket in question is part of the Toppmeiler, a special helmet worn by the players. This consists of a wicker basket fastened to the player's head by a leather strap with an attached pair of flying goggles to protect the eyes.
Before starting a match, players are encouraged to Splice the Matterhorn by insulting their opponents – though this might have been invented by Guy on the spur of the moment so that he could get away with shouting abuse at a group of children during his community service.
The game then begins when the umpire shouts Commence. In a French accent.
The rules of Guyball appear to depend on the variation being played. A 'classic three-person variation', in which two people chase the wearer of the Toppmeiler, is described by Guy to his colleague Dr Martin Dear as follows:
'Don't leave the Parish. If you reach the Maison, put your left arm in the air and shout 'Maison!'. There are no Burrow Tactics and there are no Hedgehogs. I won the toss so Stickles are random and it's a two-bounce Ubique.'
You might also choose to play with Orthodox or Alternate Stickles and a Four-BounceUbique though this tends to be in matches in which the two sides have an equal number of players, all of whom wear Toppmeilers. Positions in which Guyball players may find themselves include:
The Emmental Loop, in which you have a Cleft Mitten showing whilst you crouch to attack an opponent.
The Classical Heist, an attack in which you stand with your foot on the opponent's jaw and your Toppmeiler is empty.
The Fat Chalet, similar to the Classical Heist but your Toppmeiler is 'geometrically loaded'; that is, contains a large six-sided die.
According to Green Wing: The Complete First Series Scripts, a player can also be sent off for 'Illegal use of the Hefty Fondue.' This happened between Guy Secretan and Markus Geissler, during a match at the Secretanstadt, Lausanne.
Guy won 12:3.
The game certainly delighted Green Wing fans and groups of them now meet regularly to play the game. Stephen Mangan has even turned up to few matches to Splice the Matterhorn and to check people's Toppmeilers.
All of which must have upset the players of a genuine sport called Guyball. You can read about that here.
But at least Guyball - in whatever form - is accessible to all.
Whereas the Eton Wall Game must be pretty much the most elitist sport in the world.
Having mentioned the Lakeman dynasty a little while ago (here), today we feature another - Folk's 'royal family' - the Waterson-Carthys.
The Watersons were one of the main drivers of the British folk revival of the 1960s and 70s. The band consisted of siblings Norma, Mike, and Elaine (known as Lal) and their cousin John Harrison. Harrison was later replaced by Bernie Vickers and then by Martin Carthy, Norma's husaband.
Martin was already considered an influential artist and major player on the folk scene even then and was, at one time, a member of Steeleye Span and the Albion Band. His arrangement of the traditional ballad Scarborough Fair was adapted, without acknowledgement, by Paul Simon on the Simon and Garfunkel album recording Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme in 1966. This caused a rift between the pair which was not resolved until Simon invited Carthy to sing the song with him on-stage at the Hammersmith Apollo in 2000. With Carthy now part of The Watersons the group became greater than the sum of their parts.
In time the band also included Mike's daughter Rachel Waterson and Norma and Martin's daughter - now a big folk star in her own right - Eliza Carthy. Other members have included Anne Waterson, Jill Pidd and Maria Gilhooley (who often records as Marry Waterson) - the daughter of Lal Waterson.
At one time, Marry, Norma, Eliza and Lal recorded as The Waterdaughters. Meanwhile, Marry's brother, Oliver Knight, is also a singer-songwriter and sound engineer (I told you this was a dynasty).
After Lal died, the band reformed as Waterson Carthy, consisting of Norma, Martin, Eliza and Saul Rose.
However, in whatever combination they record, the sound of their voices together is mesmerising. It may be something to do with what's known as 'Blood Harmony' whereby siblings or close relatives have voices that compliment each other - think of The Corrs, The Unthanks, The Staves ... and even non folk bands like The Proclaimers, The Carpenters, The Osmonds, The Jacksons etc.
We'll end with a fascinating film about The Watersons in their heyday called Travelling for a Living.
When I set out to lose weight during lockdown I was determined to make food that was delicious as well as low in bad carbs. No food or drink would be banned - but they would, from now on, be viewed as treats rather than staples. I cherry-picked recipes from various diet schemes like Weightwatchers, Fast 800, Paleo etc. And I created quite a few meals of my own design - one advantage of having spent my later teenage years working in a pro kitchen is that I have a good understanding of flavour and cooking techniques.
I also watch cookery shows and I'm particularly fond of River Cottage, where their philosophy of growing and raising organic, sustainable produce, supplemented by occasional foraging, is a 100% match for my own food ethic.
This one is based on a River Cottage recipe. It's a favourite winter warmer at Colgan Towers and SO easy (and cheap) to make. And it's a one pot meal so there's not much washing up either.
Ingredients (serves 2)
Rapeseed oil or butter
Half a butternut squash, peeled, de-seeded and cubed
An onion
Ginger (optional)
Clove of garlic (optional)
Red chili or Chili flakes (optional)
Vegetable stock
Jar of peanut butter
Method
Chop the onion and fry in a little oil or butter. Add the garlic and ginger and the chili/chili flakes if you like some extra warmth. Make it as spicy or as mild as you fancy.
Add the cubed butternut and let it take on a bit of colour - it's all flavour. Then add stock until the squash is all submerged. Simmer for about 15-20 mins until the squash will, quite literally, squash between your fingers or by pressing with a spoon.
Now blitz it up with a blender or, if you don't have one, give it a good mash with a potato masher.
Add two big heaped table spoons of peanut butter - my preference is for crunchy as it adds texture but smooth works equally well (try to avoid cheap peanut butter than adds extra sugar or palm oil).
Stir until the bigger lumps of peanut butter have melted down and become incorporated into the soup.
Season to taste. I don't add extra salt as the peanut butter is salted. However, some peanut butters are saltier than others.
Serve with a nice hunk of bread and some fragrant ground black pepper. Or with a sprinkling of fresh chopped coriander leaves (if you like coriander). If it turns out to be a bit too spicy, you can add a swirl of yoghurt to take the edge off.
If you can't get a butternut, any sweet squash will do. I have made this with the innards of a Halloween pumpkin rather than waste all that good flesh. It worked just as well.
You can also make it with cashew butter if you prefer. But, of course, if you are peanut intolerant, it is possible you might also be allergic to cashews. Although peanuts aren't nuts (they're legumes) they do contain some chemicals found in tree nuts like cashews, almonds and brazils. Always check with the people you want to serve this to - they'll know what they can and can't eat.
Oh, and don't forget to roast those butternut or pumpkin seeds. Delicious free bonus snacks!
Steve Roud will be a very familiar name to anyone interested in British folklore or traditional music. And this, I firmly believe, is one of his best books.
The book is exactly what you'd expect it to be - a day by day walk through the English year explaining the saints days and traditional events and customs associated with each date. It does only feature England - if he'd included Wales and Scotland too it would be an immense paperback. As it is, it's nearly two inches thick.
Steve Roud has been researching British folklore for over thirty years and has written many books. One other I'd mention is the excellent New Penguin Book of English Folk Songs, which he edited with Julia Bishop.
Yesterday evening I hopped on a train into London for this wonderful annual event - postponed for a couple of years due to Covid. It was lovely to see old friends and to make a few new ones.
As it was a fairly pleasant evening I walked from Marylebone Station to Mayfair and the clubhouse in Brook Street. London was looking pretty for Christmas though the decorations in Oxford Street seemed less extravagant than in previous years. Energy costs maybe?
I was somewhat bemused by the words LET CHANG displayed on a building nearby to Selfridges. And so was the crowd of people staring at it in puzzlement. It was only when I checked my photos next day in daylight that I realised what had happened.
Perhaps the full message should have been 'Let's change the bulbs'.
I won't go into the history of the Eccentric Club here because I've already done that in a previous post (here). Suffice to say a glorious time was had by all - writers, artists, inventors, environmentalists, poets, opera singers and all. And a splendid meal was followed by many celebratory drinks and some great jazz. Roll on next year!
The two trees are closely related and hard to tell apart from a distance. However ...
The English Oak (Quercus robur), AKA the Common or Pedunculate Oak, has rounded lobed leaves that are attached to the twig by a short stalk. The acorns, meanwhile are on a long stalk.
In contrast, the Sessile Oak (Quercus petraea) AKA the Cornish, Irish or Durmast Oak, has leaves with irregular lobes - some of which can be pointed. The leaves are attached to the twig by a long stalk while the acorns are attached with almost no stalk - the opposite arrangement to the English Oak.
Sussex is pretty much on fire for most of November.
It's Bonfire Season.
Right across the county - and even into Kent - bonfires are lit and fire-themed parades are held to mark both Guy Fawkes Night and the burning of 17 Protestant martyrs in Lewes High Street from 1555 to 1557 during the reign of Mary Tudor. Bonfire Societies exist in each town to collect money for local charities and to keep the bonfire tradition, quite literally, burning. As their group motto says, 'We Burn for Good'.
The history of the Bonfire Societies is fascinating but far too complicated to cover in depth here (though you can read about it here). The short version is that Guy Fawkes night was traditionally a night where riotous behaviour was tolerated more than usual, so it was used as cover for protests against authority and inequality. Disenfranchised workers became increasingly politicised by radicals like Tom Paine, who lived in Lewes, and gangs of 'Bonfire Boys' began building bonfires and burning effigies of politicians, nobility, factory owners and prominent clerics to show their displeasure. From 1827 the Bonfire Boys became more organised and darkened their faces to prevent arrest. Despite attempts to ban the fires, the burnings continued.
Then, in 1850, the Pope restored Catholic bishops in England including the new Archbishop of Westminster. There was an enormous public Protestant backlash and the Bonfire Boys in Lewes burned an effigy of the Pope and paraded banners stating No Popery Here. New Bonfire Societies sprang up where none had previously existed and East Sussex burned with outrage. Lewes still retains its Pope burning and other societies still burn effigies of unpopular politicians and other public figures.
In recent years there have been claims of a Pagan connection to the bonfires but, apart from fire as one of Paganism's five elements, there is no evidence of any true link. However, the Pagan revival of the early 20th century has seen many groups co-opted into bonfire organisation.
Due to the size and number of events and mutual collaboration between some societies, it became impractical to hold all the bonfires on the traditional Fifth of November. This resulted in a 'Bonfire Season' that stretches across ten weeks through September, October and November. The first of the Sussex Bonfire Societies' events starts with the Uckfield Carnival on the first Saturday of September and concludes with Hawkhurst and Barcombe festivals on the third Saturday of November.
Meanwhile, the feast days of St Catherine and St Clement fall on the 23rd and 25th of November and in past times it was common for folk to go 'Catterning and Clemening' around their districts in search of generous donations of apples and beer to mark the festivals. Special songs were sung and cattern cakes were baked. These customs had faded away over time, but at Hastings they have been revived by the Bonfire Society. The Bonfire Boys - and Girls too these days - tour the town, moving from pub to pub in festive attire singing songs and lighting Catherine Wheels as they go.
So, if you're in Hastings this evening, enjoy the spectacle.
Not a mushroom I come across often so it's always a treat when I do. It's the Magpie Inkcap (Coprinopsis picacea).
Not an edible, sadly, as it's poisonous. It does have one use though - like all of the inkcaps (hence the name) it deliquesces into a usable ink. The rim has already started to go.
Spotted in Beech and Yew woods behind Hughenden Manor, Buckinghamshire.
I couldn't run a 'Leaf of the Day' throughout November without mentioning the most dramatic and specialised leaves that I come into contact with every day - my faithful Venus Flytrap (Dionaea muscipula).
It's been an exceptional summer for my little carnivorous chum and it's put out many new 'mouths'. At one point there were twenty and I had to re-pot it. That meant buying a special low nutrient potting compost. The Flytrap lives in poor soil in the damp bogs of North Carolina in America, which is why it ended up evolving another way of gathering essential nutrition.
To give you some idea of how well the plant did this year, here it is in November last year in its old pot.
They're a fairly low maintenance houseplant. You need to keep them damp but you should only give them rainwater as they are very pH sensitive. And they like sunshine - mine sits in the south-facing window of my study - because in their natural environment they have no tree cover.
One other thing is that, if you want the plant to last a few years (mine is 4 now), you need to remove flowers whenever they start to develop. Unfortunately, the energy expended in flowering will often weaken the plant so much that it dies. Which is a shame as I'd quite like to see mine do this:
Image: Creative commons
Other than that, they just get on with it and they do catch the occasional insect. However, their name is something of a misnomer. In the wild, flying insects make up less than 5% of their diet. The majority comes from ants (33%), spiders (30%), beetles (10%) and grasshoppers (10%) with the remainder being 'miscellaneous'.
One interesting fact about the Flytrap is that it can count. When potential prey crawls into the 'mouth' and makes contact with one of several hinged 'hairs', the trap goes on standby. If the prey animal then bumps into a second hair within 20 seconds, the trap closes. If it doesn't hit a second hair within 20 seconds, the trap resets. It's a clever safeguard against wasting valuable energy on a false trigger e.g. being caused by a raindrop.
Once the trap closes, the plant then waits for a further 5 more hair strikes before it clamps firmly closed to create a seal. Digestive juices are then released and the leaf becomes a kind of stomach, slowly dissolving its prey and extracting all of the goodness over a period of several days. When all that's left are the hardest indigestible parts of the chitin exoskeleton, the trap re-opens, is reset and the remains fall out.
Surprisingly, despite being widely cultivated for sale, the Venus Flytrap has been rapidly declining in the wild with the population estimated to have decreased 93% since 1979 . It has therefore been declared an endangered species by the US Fish & Wildlife Service.
At least my little chum is doing okay here on the Chiltern Hills.
The book is exactly what you'd expect it to be - a day by day walk through the English year explaining the saints days and traditional events and customs associated with each date. It does only feature England - if he'd included Wales and Scotland too it would be an immense paperback. As it is, it's nearly two inches thick.
I was somewhat bemused by the words LET CHANG displayed on a building nearby to Selfridges. And so was the crowd of people staring at it in puzzlement. It was only when I checked my photos next day in daylight that I realised what had happened.
