As the Season Turns | A Podcast by Ffern
At Ffern we work with the rhythms of the seasons, blending, barrel-ageing and bottling four fragrances a year, to be released at each equinox and solstice. Working in this way has kept us side by side with nature - noticing how hedgerows change, days lengthen and full moons come and go.
Our studio, overlooking the Blackdown Hills, is filled with guides to navigating and knowing the land. J.A. Baker’s ‘The Peregrine’ and Roger Deakin’s ‘Waterlog’ are currently lying open on the table, but it is to Lia Leendertz’s ‘Seasonal Almanacs’ that we continually turn, keen to learn more about the unfolding year.
In the hope of celebrating the changes that each month brings, we set about creating a podcast. Something short, lasting only fifteen minutes or so, that you might listen to on a walk through the park, in the kitchen or by the fireside. We asked Lia Leendertz herself to be our host, drawing on her vast knowledge and research to guide us through the months ahead.
We will be making twelve episodes in total, published on the first of every month. We very much hope you enjoy the podcast and that it helps you, in the words of the poet Ray Carver, “settle deeper into the seasons.”
April
For April, we explore the traditional names for the month, the changing hedgerows, the beauty of the bluebell, how to navigate by the crescent moon and why decorated eggs came to be associated with Easter.
March
For the March episode, we explore the traditional names for the month, the moons and the tides, the types of nest each bird is building, how to help hedgehogs as they emerge from hibernation and the history and folklore surrounding the humble daffodil.
February
For February, we explore the Romani name for the month, why it is the time for plans and new beginnings, the blue tit’s mating rituals, the migration of the toad and the moons that will grace our night sky. Each of the monthly chapters in Lia’s almanac ends with a folk song - for February Lia brings one to life, singing a traditional shanty.
January
For January, we explore the origins of the month’s name, the moons and the tides, the changing hedgerows, the traditions surrounding the first day of the new year and the different types of snow.
You can also listen to ‘As the Season Turns’ on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.