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Learning about and practising commoning on the New Forest. -
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Author Archives: newforestcommoner
Sparrow starvers and the Great Manure Crisis of 1894
I had to drive to west London recently. The journey was without incident until I found myself in a slow procession of cars queuing alongside Gunnersby Park, on the North Circular Road. I was waiting in stationary traffic when my … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest flora & fauna
Tagged Great Manuare Crisis, Henry Ford, horse-drawn, Karl Benz, licensed cabs, London, manure, motorcar, New forest, nineteeth century, ornithologist, RSPB, sparrow, sparrow starvers, transport, twentieth century
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New Forest: when gorse is out of bloom, kissing is out of season
The recent holiday period has given me plenty of opportunity to visit the Forest and walk through the woods and across the heathland. The working week gives me little chance to explore the places my ponies haunt (i,e., their territory), … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest flora & fauna
Tagged alternative medicine, furze, fuzz-toppers, fyrs, gorse, gorst, homeopathy, medicine, New forest, nutrition, optimism, pagan, symbol of hope, Ulex europaeus
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New Forest: practical gift for herding cattle
Commoners are practical people. Indeed, one of the most useful gifts I’ve ever been given is a commoner’s staff. I take it with me everywhere, because I never know when I’ll need it. The best ones are made from wood, … Continue reading
New Forest: kitchen/office turns into bird-hide
I’ve been spending a lot of time working from home recently. I’ve turned a corner of the kitchen into an impromptu office and the end of the kitchen table has become my desk. This is a perfect spot and, because … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest flora & fauna
Tagged avian, bird watching, birds, blackbird, blue tit, bullfinch, Buzzard, cavity, chaffinch, coal tit, dove, feeder, garden, goldfinch, great tit, greater spotted woodpecker, green woodpecker, greenfinch, jay, long tailed tit, magpie, mistle thrush, nest box, nesting, New forest, nuthatch, owl, peanut, pheasant, pied wagtail, pigeon, robin, siskin, squirrel, starling, sunflower, tawny, trees, wildlife, wren
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New Forest: low temperatures and good nourishment
Winter is definitely on the way. As I go out checking my free roaming stock on the New Forest I’m wearing more layers than of late. I’m also in the habit of keeping my gloves on the radiator in the … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest pony
Tagged Dr Green, gorse, grass, holding, New forest, nourishment, pea, ponies, pony, spring, temperatures, winter
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New Forest: celebrating Carta de Foresta 1217
Bonfire Night, Fireworks Night, or Guy Fawkes Night, call it what you may, is a tradition that commemorates a failed plot to blow up the House of Lords and assisinate King James I of England and VI of Scotland with … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest
Tagged 1217, 1605, 5th, 6th, Bonfire, Carta de Foresta, Charter of the Forest, commoners, Fireworks, Forest Law, Gunpowder Plot, Guy Fawkes, Henry III, House of Lords, James V&VI, King James, Magna Carta, New forest, November, Parliament, privilege, protection, pyrotechnic, rights, William the Conqueror
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New Forest: get the picture?
Autumn in the New Forest is a spectacular time of year. The warm colours of orange, russet, and red that are on display in the canopies of the trees and over the heathland contrast with the wintry temperatures on clear … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest flora & fauna
Tagged behaviour, bucks, coitus, dama dama, deer, does, Forestry Commission, get the picture, mating, New forest, orange, photographers, red, rewilding, Royal Photographic Society, RSPB, russet, rut, stags, wildlife harassment
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New Forest: warm welcomes and creature comforts
I went to visit a friend of mine recently for a long overdue catch up over a mug of coffee. This particular friend, a lady with a widespread knowledge of the New Forest, comes from a long established commoning family … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest Commoner
Tagged Aga, axe, caffè latte, Calf, Commoner, creature comfort, dairy, faggots, fire, foal, heat, logs, New forest, puppy, range, smoke, tractor, trailer, welcome, woodstove
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New Forest: autumn activity, tradition and festival
Autumn is always a busy season for farmer, smallholder and commoner alike. It is also a time of ritual, tradition, and festival that reminds us of our connection to the natural or, indeed, supernatural world. Michaelmas, which signals the end … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest customs, Pannage season
Tagged autumn, cereal, Christian, Christmas, Commoner, custom, dam, deer, drift, Equinox, famine, farmer, feast, festival, foal, fortune, gods, Halloween, harvest, Harvest Festival, hay, mare, Michaelmas, moon, natural, New forest, October, pagan, Pannage, pig, pony, pork, produce, round-up, season, September, smallholder, spirits, spring, straw, supernatural, Tradition, winter
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New Forest: old records show crime and lies do not pay
Every now and then I get the chance to sit down and read the newspaper as part of my job. Quite often though, the newspaper in question dates from the eighteenth or nineteenth centuries. These historical broadsheets make fascinating reading … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest
Tagged coney, constable, court, crime, criminal, defendant, disorderly, drunk, eighteenth century, Georgian, lies, Lyndhurst, magistrate, New forest, nineteenth century, Oryctolagus cuniculus, Petty Sessions, poach, police, rabbit, shoplifter, trespass, Victorian
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