Welcome to my Perching Post.

Tunnel of Trees

For many children on long car journeys the cry is often, ‘Are we nearly there yet?’ As a child my cry was always, ‘Will we be going through a tunnel of trees?’

I always found travelling a long stretch of road flanked by trees in full leaf enormously exciting – and if the canopy comprised interlinked leafy branches, creating a dark, slightly mysterious tunnel suggesting unfolding adventures then so much the better. This has continued into adult life and still I love to walk along a path that is overhung with a leafy roof, the cool green light filtering through and making ever-shifting patterns on the path as sunlight dances through the twigs.

There might be long straight tunnels with regular perfectly-formed tunnel walls of aged tree trunk, bark beautifully patterned, stretching to a pinpoint light at the end of the tunnel. Or it might be a curvy path – giving no idea of length or how far the darkness might last before coming out into the light. Tantalising in its uncertainty but with a continuing sense of mystery. The tunnels might be natural, or planted deliberately, festooned with flowers or foliage cascading over the path.

A gate leads you to a path through the trees — Gated pathway through trees

These tunnels might suggest ancient human routes, sunken paths formed over the years and worn away and downwards from the stepping of countless feet.

It might be a formal avenue, a word from the French avenir, meaning ‘to reach, or to arrive,’ or it may be a natural holloway – from the Anglo-Saxon words hola weg, meaning a ‘harrowed path’, or ‘sunken road’. These ancient tracks would probably have started as ancient drove roads for moving cattle to different pastures or to market. Some will have grown as pilgrim paths, followed by the faithful in their journeys to sacred shrines and places of worship.

Sunken path through trees — A sunken path will have a history of its own…

In his book The Wild Places Robert MacFarlane writes ‘These holloways are humbling, for they are landmarks that speak of habit rather than suddenness. Trodden by innumerable feet, cut by innumerable wheels, they are records of journeys to market, to worship, to sea.’ Each has its own story to tell; as we walk along them we continue that story as we create our own pilgrimage tale of experience.

Mysterious path winding steeply upwards — A mysterious winding path leading up through woodland

We need to enjoy tunnels of trees wherever we can find them. Some have lasted years and speak of history; others will be more transient as they are changed or adapted to whims of landscape and garden designers. But they can instil in us a sense of wonder, peace and enchantment. The plaintive cry, ‘are we nearly there yet?’ will become more of a spellbound whisper ‘let me linger a little longer.’

Boy running through trees — Enjoy the tunnels of trees and let the path carry you onwards…

Petrichor – scent from heaven

Why is it that the air smells so wonderful after a welcome downpour of rain?

Woman with umbrella in rain — Stand still in the rain and sense the smell…

Often, when out walking or working in the garden, I have been struck by the wonderful fragrance that comes with a sudden shower of water on dry ground or parched earth. I put it down to the sudden refreshing of foliage or grass blades – but there is a technical, chemical word for it – ‘petrichor’.

Earth cracked and dry with heat — Parched earth

This was identified in the 1960s – researchers found that the smell is produced by bacteria in the soil that create a molecule called geosmin. As rain hits the ground geosmin is released into the air. As well as being used in the production of certain antibiotics it is used in commercial perfume production. One perfumier has said ‘It’s a really potent material and it smells just like the concrete when the rain hits it. There’s something very primitive and very primal about the smell.”

A precious phial of perfume with stones and plants — Perfume from rocks and rain

Not for nothing does the word petrichor have Greek roots – petros, meaning ‘stone’ and ichor, meaning ‘fluid that flows in the veins of the gods’. The perfume ‘matti ka attar’ has been made in Uttar Pradesh, India for countless years. Petrichor is so potent that the minutest amount is identifiable even when diluted billions of times. It can be blended with essential oils of vetiver, sandalwood, patchouli, jasmine, rose, ylang-ylang, and frankincense.

Often used to freshen the air, as an ingredient in aromatherapy and as a soothing agent in the relief of stress its calming and restorative qualities help focus the mind and impart a sense of well-being.

Relaxing lighted candles — Enjoy that sense of well-being…

So next time you are caught out in the rain, pause for a moment and enjoy the extraordinary smell of this amazing phenomenon.

Peonies: the glory of spring

It is at this time of the year that peonies come into their full glory. Full blown flowers with voluptuous blooms like glamorous ball gowns or a ballet dancer’s tutu. Layers of delicate petals and a triumph of scent wafting on the early morning air. The tight buds seem to burst forth in an extravagant explosion of flower – delighting in the spring air and eager to show off their charm and glory.

White-pink peony in full flower — Peony in full flower

DH Lawrence paints an evocative impression of peonies in his poem A Baby Running Barefoot. Reading it you can almost feel the soft skin of a child’s foot, the tender silken smoothness that can never be recaptured in later life. Very much a flower of the moment the peony flower cannot linger but seems almost heaven sent whilst it lasts.

A Baby Running Barefoot

When the bare feet of the baby beat across the grass
The little white feet nod like white flowers in the wind,
They poise and run like ripples lapping across the water;
And the sight of their white play among the grass
Is like a little robin’s song, winsome,
Or as two white butterflies settle in the cup of one flower
For a moment, then away with a flutter of wings.


I long for the baby to wander hither to me
Like a wind-shadow wandering over the water,
So that she can stand on my knee
With her little bare feet in my hands,
Cool like syringa buds,
Firm and silken like pink young peony flowers.

DH Lawrence

In Greek mythology Paeon studied under Aesculapius, the god of medicine. However, when Paeon cured Pluto by using a peony root after he had been wounded in a battle with Hercules Aesculapius was enraged and tried to kill Paeon out of jealousy. Pluto saved Paeon by transforming him into the peony flower as he knew that its beauty would be praised and admired. Thus the peony came to represent the quality of compassion.

In another legend, the nymph Paeonia caught the eye of Apollo – he began to flirt with her. Embarrassed, she blushed and turned bright red. Aphrodite, Apollo’s ‘other half’ realised what was going on and, in a fit of rage and jealousy, she turned Paeonia into the red peony we know today. So the peony also stands for bashfulness.

Red peony representing bashfulness — The flowers of the red peony stand for bashfulness

The Chinese, too, tell a story in which a beautiful, but wilful, empress one winters day used her powers of magic to order all the flowers in her garden to bloom. Every flower obeyed, with the exception of the peony. Furious, the empress banished all the peonies in her garden to the coldest and most hostile parts of her empire. But the peony survived, bloomed and produced such a display of wonderful flowers that all were astounded. The empress realised that she had been defeated and allowed the peony to return, naming the plant the ‘Queen of all Flowers.’

The peony was a popular medicinal herb in Europe until the sixteenth century but is seldom used today. The herbalist, Culpepper, recognised two variants, one for treating male complaints and one for female problems. It is also used in Chinese medicine – again with different varieties for different ailments, such as liver and circulation, eczema and ‘cooling the blood.’ None of these should be tried without proper medical advice. However, we can all benefit from the beauty of the plant and its exquisite scent – true balm for the soul.

Coffee and a moment to enjoy the delight of a peony — True balm for the soul…

The peony has been captured in many art- and craft-forms. Embroidery lends itself to some of the most exquisite representations. For a demonstration of this now’s the time to relax, indulge yourself for a few moments and enjoy the following video from Malina GM Embroidery: