Mallinson Ltd - woodwork courses in Dorset. Perfect short breaks for everyone.

April has seen a real transformation in the woods, from the snow last month to our first spring here at our new woodland workshop. The bluebells are out along with the wild garlic and every day we spot something previously unseen growing up around us - truly exciting times as all of the hard work begins to pay off.

The willow shelter support poles that we mentioned last month have taken root and are now producing shoots galore. They should be quite a sight come mid-summer, providing a unique addition to the feeling of being immersed in nature while exploring your creative talents.

Adults, Children and Priests

The April Children's Green Woodworking course was a great success with plenty of youngsters (and accompanying adults) having fun down in the woods.

As I hope the photographs show, this time around, adult partners and some younger siblings joined us at the end of the day for a spot of fishing in the recently stocked pond. And as a result of that, 'Priests' (which, basically, are clubs for dispatching trout) are proving a popular new pole lathe project as well as the regular rounders bats, tip cat, candlesticks and spatulas.

Filling Up

Now everybody is thinking about venturing outside again we are getting very booked up.. That's NOT a complaint! However, as I write this week's bowl course is fully booked, May's totem pole carving course has just one place and the next charcoal drawing one has just a couple of places. So, as ever, if you have a date in mind now would be a good time to reserve a place. Once they're full, they're full.

Zero Wood Miles

If you're a regular reader you might remember the old ash tree that we had to fell last year on safety grounds. Well, since then the huge butt has been sitting where it fell while we've been deciding on a suitable second life for the tree. Finally, this month and after much deliberation, we opted to carve a bench out of it. Adam took on the task eagerly by rough carving the shape with a chainsaw and then hand gouging out the detail.

As you can see from the picture below, it has an uncanny resemblance to the finish on our bowl carving courses and as such feels like a wholly appropriate solution. We do our best to emphasize the environmental benefits of green woodworking, not least the low 'wood miles' involved in working green wood, but I think carving a piece of furniture where it fell is taking this to a whole new level.

Ladders

Another ash project for me this month was making a second ladder to compliment one commissioned last year for a local domestic barn. As always, it was easier second time round and the end result looks fine hung on pole-lathe-turned sycamore pegs on an oak wall. The ladder was made entirely by hand using the techniques used on the courses - drawknives, carving, spokeshaves, axes etc, and the whole structure was locked by utilizing the natural shrinkage of the wood. It was all very satisfying, and with the bonus of a happy client too.

A Living Jetty, A Sink and an Ozan

In between courses and commissions we've been working on various site improvements and can now boast our very own jetty on the pond. With sweet chestnut seats and many structural components that should take root and live again in time, this is all a bit experimental but whatever the outcome, it's been a fun project.

We have also improved the washing up area with a reclaimed Belfast sink and a tap and whilst this may not sound that amazing it does make life much easier on a day-to-day basis working in the woods. Finally, we have installed an 'ozan' inside the tipi. This is like an inner canvas sloping ceiling that catches any water drips from the poles - it's really an improvement for dining on cold rainy winter days but it has already paid off during some particularly sharp April showers.

That's it for this month. Do remember to grab your places if you are thinking about joining us - holidays in Britain are proving very popular this year!

Guy and the team

Tree of the Month - Rowan - Sorbus aucuparia

As you read this at the end of April, I'm looking forward to the early summer days of May, when the rowan tree will be coming into flower. Last month we looked at early-flowering trees, whose blossom, appearing on bare twigs, beautified the countryside before the leaves had emerged from the buds. This month's tree, the rowan, flowers later in the season after the leaves have come. This growth habit indicates the native environment favoured by this tree; for although rowan is widely planted as a useful small garden and street tree, it is made for tougher stuff.

The common name, Mountain Ash, says it all about the habitat favoured by the rowan, and nothing about its relatives. S aucuparia is not, in fact, related to the common ash - Fraxinus excelsior - at all, although the leaves, comprised of a number of paired leaflets, are superficially similar. This little tree is, however, a mountain-dweller. The hardiest of our native deciduous trees, the rowan thrives in harsh, mountainous habitats, and will grow at a higher altitude than any other native tree. Although it can reach 20m when growing in a prime location, it will also happily grow - to shrub-like size - in the most inhospitable cleft in the rock, often ending up in such unpromising locations after seeds are spread by birds, who love the berries. The Latin name S. aucuparia indicates this, apparently deriving from avis meaning bird, and capere meaning catch, (which I do not at all remember from learning Latin at school).

Adapted as it is to living in harsh environments, the rowan is an exceptionally frost-hardy tree, useful in the garden for difficult, frost-pocket locations, especially as the late flowering protects the blossom from the possibility of frost damage, thus ensuring the best chance of successfully forming fruit. Although the rowan will grow anywhere, it favours moist, acidic soils and is most widespread in the north and west of the country, where a great deal of folklore is associated with the tree, especially in the more remote and inhospitable regions where the hardiness and beauty of the rowan, and its reliable supply of vitamin-rich fruits, would have been all the more appreciated in times gone by.

Aside from these obvious physical qualities, the Rowan was also historically valued as a protective tree; particularly in the north and west of the country, it was considered the strongest possible protection against bad magic and charms. Common folk-names for the tree include witch-wood, witchen and the welsh cas gangythraul, meaning devil's hate (which I do not at all remember from my time learning Welsh in Wales). A rowan tree planted outside the house was considered a strong defence against evil spirits; so much so that the wood was often incorporated into the structure of the building itself, as, used in the construction of doorways and across the fireplace, rowan wood was thought to stop evil influences from gaining entry to the home. Rowan was also used to protect cattle, reflecting the importance of the cows and the milk products to the livelihood of families and small farmers; trees were grown outside the barns or boughs were cut and hung over the doorways to protect the cattle inside, and rowan-wood stirrers were used in the preparation of butter and cream to ensure a successful set.

On a smaller scale, protective charms were also commonly used until very recent times; Richard Mabey writes that the practice, once widespread, may continue to this day in the Isle of Man. Here, the charm is traditionally made from two pieces of rowan twig that had been plucked rather than cut, then threaded together to form a cross and bound into place with sheep's wool. In Scotland, a similar device was made from crossed rowan twigs bound with a red thread. In all areas these charms were placed above the doors, again to protect the thresholds, and were traditionally renewed on the eve of Mayday. Outside, the family cows might wear a garland of rowan twigs as a personal protection, while for humans, especially in the southwest, rowan-twig charms might be carried in the pocket.

Rowan trees are also found in Welsh churchyards, as commonly as yew are found in the wider British Isles, again due to their protective powers. In a pattern that has been noted again and again, powerful elements from the old beliefs are adopted and absorbed by Christianity, so we see rowans in churchyards, which were said to protect against witches and prevent the dead rising up from their graves. Similarly, the practice of hanging fresh rowan boughs at the doorways of homes and barns became the Christianised Rowan Tree Day occurring on the festival of the Invention of the Holy Cross.

Maybe in these troubled times you'll find time to make your own house charm before Mayday eve, or to carve a little twig charm to carry in your pocket; just remember never to take more than you need from this protective tree, and never forget that cutting down a rowan is very bad luck indeed!

Carolyn Brightwater
Brightwater Greenwood
www.brightwater.org.uk