Elders 15 – Celebration of trees

A celebration of all the trees we had studied, and some of those we hadn’t.

We started with our circle asking how we’d been in these 3 missing weeks – it was a most illuminating and expansive dive into other worlds.

• Rachel was almost taking off in helium balloon as Pits funding application was submitted and she was on holiday
• Kally was hoping to soon reach the same heights, but after preparation for Ravingham Sculpture Trail – in which both she and Gabrielle were exhibiting.
• Caroline was active in two events: The Lookout Aldeburgh, open to Sunday 23rd July ‘Hope in the iminal’. She was also presenting The Bard of Dunwhich Saturday 5th August – details in a photograph below.
• Will had been reading Patrick Barkham’s book The Swimmer about Roger Deakin, finding many connections with the characters within the story (including Virginia)
• Martin had returned from a visit to his son, down Stroud way, in which he entered a world of acres of technology – a digital machine (Ian Ravenshaw?) where he saw McMurtry electric car with a fan keeping it earthed.
• Gabrielle had modelled one of her creations on Clive Anderson, who may come up to see his mirror. She is also involved in Just Stop Oil as her son in law is in prision, experiencing horrendous conditions, which we public are unaware of, as there is no coverage on this. (R4 Moral Maze examined the morality of climate activism)
• Virgina had been indulging in Frivolity, typically the solid enjoyment of Lady Maisery in Halesworth church, and the handsome physique of young donovan who is painting the front of her house.
• Nicky is preparing for Harlequin
• Leslie went to Snape exhibition –
• Chris was back, after a long and horrible gastric flu. Thank goodness looked after by his 3 cats.
• Stuart gave us a run down of his rich life. Heritage Environmentalist, Photographer.
• Jane – I omitted to write down what you said!

We were gifted a story.But first a riddle. How, the king asked the wisest man in the kingdom, can you make this line in the sand smaller without touching it? Ah the joy of being told a story, this one about the coming together of nature to protect the insects from the cold which was about to arrive. Now the hornbeam has hair for me.

We tapped. Up our arms, loving our bellies, beating our buttocks, and finally a communal tapping of each other. We were tingling all over.

Back to work. On a University Challenge model, we made up our own buzzer sounds, as Rachel held up a branch of a tree and we had to buzz and then give the answer. Sycamore, Maple, Hornbeam, Elm, Hazel, Oak and a trick one, Turkey Oak.

After a quiz to refresh our tree knowledge (more points or minus points), we broke into groups to begin the working up our or canvasses of our trees.

The day came to an end with a reflection which moment we liked in it: the story telling, colouring, relaxing, communal tapping, glue fingers, seeing Chris back in the woods, ‘The hokey cokey IS what it’s all about’, I just came for the bees and stayed, the riddle, our buz noises.

We were 10 people, 6 dogs and 4 facilitators, 20 souls in the wood