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'As the Season Turns' is a podcast created by Ffern (www.ffern.co) and presented by the nature writer Lia Leendertz. Each episode, released on the first of every month, is a guide to what to look out for in the month ahead - from the sky above to the land below. Ffern is a natural fragrance maker based in Somerset. Working with the rhythms of the seasons, they blend, barrel-age and bottle four fragrances a year, released at the equinox and solstice. Each fragrance is made to order for the na ...
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This month, Alice is with ecological food grower, forager and cook Poppy Okotcha in her garden in Devon - where they plant beans, make compost and discuss how gardens can help us envision alternative ways of living.This episode was produced by musician and sound artist Alice Boyd, featuring music by herself and The Breath. Thanks go to Poppy Okotch…
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In November's episode we mark the old festival of Samhain, and the end of the harvest - while in our ancient woodland the animals, too, are saying goodbye to autumn. We explore the fire folklore that abounds at this time, from Guy Fawkes to Will o' the Wisps, and The Breath sing 'All That You Have Been', a song for this dark month. To lighten the d…
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This month, Alice is back on another foraging walk with Zoe Gilbert, author, folklorist and contributor to As the Season Turns. This time, they’re looking for some autumnal treasures among the falling leaves in an ancient woodland near Hamstreet in Kent.This episode was produced by musician and sound artist Alice Boyd, featuring music by herself an…
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October is prime season for mushrooms - and we find them in the ancient woodland and in fairy rings, exploring the best kinds to eat and the folklore surrounding them. We identify Heath Star Moss and hear the tale of Herne the Hunter (be warned - this tale is a little scary!), while The Breath play 'Little One', a song for autumn babies.'As the Sea…
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This month, Alice meets Roka from Roka Brings Flowers on her narrowboat ‘Leafy Lady’. Roka is a florist and craft maker living a nomadic life on the British waterways. As she and Alice discuss the ups and downs of this way of life, they discover ripe tomatoes, dried elderflower - and the experience of going through a lock.This episode was produced …
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In September, the wildlife in our ancient woodland is thriving on the season's abundance, while in the orchard with Zoe we meet some interesting characters. The Breath sing Cliona's Wave, telling the tale behind it, and Lia too is in Ireland for a story from the Fenian Cycle: The Salmon of Knowledge.'As the Season Turns' is a podcast created by Ffe…
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For August's Found Sound, Alice meets sisters Martha and Ella Webb, a clothes maker and scientific illustrator, in their studios in Stroud, Gloucestershire. The sisters demonstrate their creative processes, discussing how they find inspiration in nature and each other. This episode was produced by musician and sound artist Alice Boyd, featuring mus…
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August is the first real harvest month - so we go foraging in the ancient woodland, delving into the folklore of blackberries, elder and rowan along the way. Zoe tells a familiar tale from the herb garden, and The Breath sing 'Harvest', one of the first songs they wrote together. Our moss of the month takes us underground, while in the sky above we…
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This month, Alice meets artist and woodworker Sophie Sellu on the way to her studio ‘Grain and Knot’ in south-east London, where Sophie discusses her artistic practice and Alice collects some soothing woodworking sounds.This episode was produced by musician and sound artist Alice Boyd, featuring music by herself and The Breath. Thanks go to Sophie …
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In July, the ancient woodland cools us down - while we explore the hot-weather roots of some of the month's many names. In the garden Zoe gives us some charms against pests, and we find out what to eat and plant in the veg patch. Our folktale tells of fairies, while The Breath sing 'Only Stories', a song about Ríoghnach's childhood summers spent in…
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For June's Found Sound, Alice meets science and nature writer Chantal Lyons at Woorgreens Nature Reserve in the heart of the Forest of Dean, to spot the elusive wild boar - learning about their habits, expressions and natural history along the way.This episode was produced by musician and sound artist Alice Boyd, featuring music by herself and The …
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For June, we spend time in the garden - with squirrels and foxes, nectar-rich flowers and a glut of early summer vegetables. The Breath play 'For You', and we consider the old names for the month and its moons. We delve deep into the Forest of Dean to look for rewilded boar, and recount a folktale about them from the Brothers Grimm. 'As the Season …
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This month, Alice meets writer and poet Dr JC Niala and artist Sam Skinner at Elder Stubbs Allotments in Oxford - where they have recreated a 1918-style allotment using heirloom seeds. They discuss healing and heritage, and learn how to grow the straightest carrots.This episode was produced by musician and sound artist Alice Boyd, featuring music b…
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In May's episode we explore the folklore of this lovely month - green men, Robin Hood, the moon and maypoles. We cook from the garden and make German May wine for parties. We hunt for swan's-neck thyme-moss, stay up til dawn watching the Eta Aquarids meteor shower and hear 'Land of My Other', a song from The Breath. 'As the Season Turns' is a podca…
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April's Found Sound is the second part of an exploration into foraging. In this episode, Alice meets wild foods expert Miles Irving to forage for common hogweed and drink rosebay willowherb tea. Settle in for a relaxing ten minutes that will help you feel part of nature, wherever you are.Please note that common hogweed should only be eaten cooked a…
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For April we begin the month with some last-minute Easter crafts and end it in the bluebell wood. We tell tales of the stars and cook from the garden, learning along the way why you should leave a wild patch amid your planting. And The Breath give us a song for long April journeys.'As the Season Turns' is a podcast created by Ffern in collaboration…
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In a Found Sound for March, Alice visits Folkestone, Kent, where our very own Zoe Gilbert takes her out foraging along the clifftops - where they find alexanders, yarrow and ribwort plantain. Settle in for a relaxing ten minutes that will help you feel part of nature, wherever you are.This episode was produced by musician and sound artist Alice Boy…
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In March’s episode we celebrate the spring equinox with a recipe for wild garlic salt, a stroll round the ancient woodland and a seasonal fairytale. Zoe brings us folk characters from the garden pond, while the Breath play 'Land of my Other', an uplifting song for spring.'As the Season Turns' is a podcast created by Ffern in collaboration with the …
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In a Found Sound for February, Alice Boyd visits Norfolk to record the songs of late winter birds, travelling from woodland to wetland to ocean. Settle in for a relaxing ten minutes that will help you feel part of nature, wherever you are.This episode was produced by musician and sound artist Alice Boyd, featuring music by herself and The Breath. T…
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For February, we tell tales of birds and bad weather - and explore whose songs we might hear in the ancient woodland. The Breath sing 'Don't Rush It', reminding us to slow down during this short month, while elsewhere we visit peatlands and cook seasonal recipes from the garden.'As the Season Turns' is a podcast created by Ffern in collaboration w…
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In a Found Sound for January, Alice Boyd visits Dartmoor to record the sounds of this wild place. Walking the windswept tors and woodlands, Alice explores the landscape's natural history, and looks towards its future. Settle in for a relaxing ten minutes that will help you feel part of nature, wherever you are.This episode was produced by musician …
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For our first episode of 2024 we look at names for January, old and new. The ancient woodland is deep in its winter silence, but we find signs of life in glittering wood moss. Zoe Gilbert tells frosty tales and we hear the Romani story of 'Mossycoat' - while elsewhere we welcome Ríoghnach Connolly and Stuart McCallum of The Breath as this year's gu…
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December. A very old Christmas song, 'On the Morning of Christmas Day' - likely 15th Century. Caneuon y Flwyddyn is an album of Welsh folk songs by Gwilym Bowen Rhys first compiled for the 2023 edition of As the Season Turns. Mastered for Ffern by Geoff Bird. Artwork by Gemma Koomen. © Gwilym Bowen Rhys.…
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November. A popular 19th-century song that describes how wonderful and comforting the warm hearth and home is when the weather starts to turn, and the stormy heavens 'blow their bugles to signal in the coming of winter.' Caneuon y Flwyddyn is an album of Welsh folk songs by Gwilym Bowen Rhys first compiled for the 2023 edition of As the Season Turn…
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October. One of the many welsh words for Halloween is 'ysbrydnos' which means 'ghost/spirit night'. The singer describes himself tossing and turning in bed - then all of a sudden the ghost of his late lover appears, and starts conjuring up a fancy suit that floats in the air in front of him that he is to wear to go bury her. Very spooky. Caneuon y …
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September. A threshing song, written by a farm hand, describing the excitement of the day the steam thresher came to the big farm. The Welsh word for September is 'Medi' which translates as 'reaping'. Caneuon y Flwyddyn is an album of Welsh folk songs by Gwilym Bowen Rhys first compiled for the 2023 edition of As the Season Turns. Mastered for Ffer…
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August. A haunting love song comparing the singer's love, Gwen, to the flowers of summer - as birds of prey circle above. Caneuon y Flwyddyn is an album of Welsh folk songs by Gwilym Bowen Rhys first compiled for the 2023 edition of As the Season Turns. Mastered for Ffern by Geoff Bird. Artwork by Gemma Koomen. © Gwilym Bowen Rhys.…
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July. A joyous song that's often sung in the pub. Caneuon y Flwyddyn is an album of Welsh folk songs by Gwilym Bowen Rhys first compiled for the 2023 edition of As the Season Turns. Mastered for Ffern by Geoff Bird. Artwork by Gemma Koomen. © Gwilym Bowen Rhys.Par Ffern
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June. A song sung in Welsh schools - usually in a round - celebrating the return of the cuckoo. Caneuon y Flwyddyn is an album of Welsh folk songs by Gwilym Bowen Rhys first compiled for the 2023 edition of As the Season Turns. Mastered for Ffern by Geoff Bird. Artwork by Gemma Koomen. © Gwilym Bowen Rhys.…
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May. A Mayday wassailing song, written by a 17th-century poet who went by the name 'Eos Ceiriog' - the nightingale of the Ceiriog Valley. Caneuon y Flwyddyn is an album of Welsh folk songs by Gwilym Bowen Rhys first compiled for the 2023 edition of As the Season Turns. Mastered for Ffern by Geoff Bird. Artwork by Gemma Koomen. © Gwilym Bowen Rhys.…
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April. A song describing the beauty of the singer's love with the emerging flowers of April - but the singer's heart is as brittle as a dry reed. This is an example of 'old verses' - thousands of verses that can be fitted together in different combinations, all to the same melody. Caneuon y Flwyddyn is an album of Welsh folk songs by Gwilym Bowen R…
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March. A very old love song that mentions flowers, birds, melting waxen hearts - and, of course, death. Caneuon y Flwyddyn is an album of Welsh folk songs by Gwilym Bowen Rhys first compiled for the 2023 edition of As the Season Turns. Mastered for Ffern by Geoff Bird. Artwork by Gemma Koomen. © Gwilym Bowen Rhys…
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February. A song to guard against heartbreak and bad weather. Caneuon y Flwyddyn is an album of Welsh folk songs by Gwilym Bowen Rhys first compiled for the 2023 edition of As the Season Turns. Mastered for Ffern by Geoff Bird. Artwork by Gemma Koomen. © Gwilym Bowen RhysPar Ffern
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January. A Welsh carol for the new year. Caneuon y Flwyddyn is an album of Welsh folk songs by Gwilym Bowen Rhys first compiled for the 2023 edition of As the Season Turns. Mastered for Ffern by Geoff Bird. Artwork by Gemma Koomen. © Gwilym Bowen RhysPar Ffern
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Our final episode of 2023 explores the sleepy but still vibrant natural world of December - from newts and frogs hibernating in the garden pond to colourful toadstools in the woods. Alice visits the Cairngorms in Scotland to retrace the steps of nature writer Nan Shepherd, while we mark the winter solstice and watch the Geminids meteor shower. To c…
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In November, we get up before dawn to watch the stars and stay out past sunset to light bonfires for Samhain. In between, we head to Dorset for some birdwatching, to Sussex for people watching and out into the lanes to pick hawthorn berries and sloes. At the end of the day, we sit by the fire and hear a comforting song about home, 'Cartref', sung b…
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In October's episode we visit a 'ghost' island, explore the history of trick or treating, and hunt for mushrooms and dryads in the woods. Hedgehogs and frogs are preparing for their winter sleeps, and Gwilym sings 'Y wasgod goch', the red waistcoat - the spookiest song he knows.'As the Season Turns' is a podcast created by Ffern in collaboration wi…
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For September we hear the tale of Ganesh and the moon. We visit the Farne Isles, perform rituals to mark the equinox and head to Cornwall for one last day at the beach. Gwilym sings a threshing song and we gather herb robert from the hedgerows.'As the Season Turns' is a podcast created by Ffern in collaboration with the nature writer and author of …
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In August's episode we wander country lanes at night - coming across glow worms, observing the Milky Way, and hearing the haunting love song 'Gwen Lliw'r Lili', or 'Gwen the Colour of the Lily'. We visit the rivers of the Peak District, explore the uses of meadowsweet and climb the cliffs of St Kilda.'As the Season Turns' is a podcast created by Ff…
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For July we go stargazing during the dog days, hear the Cornish myth of Lyonesse and swim along mackerel migration routes. Zoe is picking wild roses, Alice visits an exciting rewilding site and Gwilym sings 'Moliannwn', a joyous song that's often sung in the pub.'As the Season Turns' is a podcast created by Ffern in collaboration with the nature wr…
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In June, Lia marks the summer solstice with gift giving and a ritual. The waterlilies are out in the pond and life beneath the surface is thriving - as Alice finds when she dips her microphone beneath the water at Wakehurst Botanic Garden. Zoe explores the folklore of St John's Wort for midsummer and Gwilym closes with a rendition of 'Daw hyfryd fi…
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For May, Lia visits the island of Skomer to explore its distinctive and abundant wildlife, and Alice stays overnight in the National Forest. We listen to nightingales and the dawn chorus, and hear a Mayday wassail from Gwilym. Zoe delves into the folklore of stitchwort and Lia looks out for seasonal plants in the garden.'As the Season Turns' is a p…
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In April's episode we learn about different degrees of sunrise, plant hardy annuals and make nests for bees. Zoe has foraged for Lady's Mantle, while in the pond the newts are out and about. Alice heads to Dover to record the sea, and we hear an Easter recipe for pace eggs. Gwilym plays 'Blodau'r flwyddyn', an example of 'old verses' - thousands of…
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For March, Lia begins with the equinox and ends with the phases of the moon. Zoe explores the mythology of seaweed and we visit a very special island in North Wales. Also in Wales, we hear the story of Blodeuwedd and Gwilym plays a very old love song, 'Lisa lân'. Lia goes back to seventeenth-century England to tell the little-known tale of the Digg…
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February's episode explores the first, tiny shoots of spring - the bulbs are emerging, the frogs are breeding and Lia reminds us it's time to plant chillis. We visit the Isles of Scilly for early narcissi and the Mendip Hills for a rainstorm recorded by Alice Boyd. Zoe Gilbert tells tales of snowdrops and to close, Gwilym Bowen Rhys sings 'Ambell i…
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For January, we explore the magic of a winter sunrise. We break the ice on the garden pond and head to the park for a snowy soundscape recorded by Alice Boyd. Meanwhile, novelist Zoe Gilbert has much to tell about mugwort, and we visit Shetland for Up Helly Aa. To close, Gwilym Bowen Rhys plays 'Teg wawriodd boreddydd', a Welsh carol for the new ye…
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December's episode features a tree dressing ritual to light the winter dark. We spend a final moment with our oak tree and beehive, and hear some pointers for planting evergreen shrubs. We hear about Holda, an ancient winter goddess, listen to the songs of tiny wrens and mark the winter solstice.Ffern Golden Tickets are available at ffern.co/gifts'…
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For November, we lean into this dark time of the year with a focus on colourful leaves, bonfires and a bright bird of the month - the starling. We plant tulips, visit the Bridgwater Carnival and take a peek at the dark side of the moon. To find out about our Gift Memberships, a unique gift for this Christmas, visit www.ffern.co/gifts'As the Season …
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In October, our oak tree's leaves are turning brown and beginning to fall. We check in with the bee hive as it prepares for winter, share a recipe for soul cakes, and explore traditions around Samhain. This month's candlelit ritual is for Halloween night - and in the meantime, look out for mushrooms, the season's finest fruit.'As the Season Turns' …
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In September's episode, we consider the 'new year' feel of the month and celebrate the Harvest Moon. We go foraging for damsons and acorns, looking out for wading birds along the way. Jupiter is bright in the sky above, and this month's ritual helps us find balance as we move into Libra season.'As the Season Turns' is a podcast created by Ffern and…
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