Gabriel Hemery's Blog: Gabriel Hemery, page 24

180-mile cycle, hundreds of children and four trees

One week ago I arrived in Lincoln with eight fellow riders after completing a 180-mile cycle from London to celebrate the launch of the new Charter for Trees, Woods & People.

[image error]Fund4Trees Charter Ride. Gabriel Hemery (left) with fellow trustees from Fund4Trees and other riders. Enjoying a well-earned drink at the appropriately named Magna Carta pub in Lincoln.

When I first suggested the idea of cycling between the two historic English cities to fellow trustees of charity Fund4Trees, I thought the idea of a long winter ride may be met with derision. Far from it! It was met immediately with enthusiasm and we had no problem recruiting a few additional riders including cycling journalist and woodsman Rob Penn, two riders from the Woodland Trust, and one from the Arboricultural Association.

We achieved more than cycling 180 miles during a blustery November. En route we visited two schools, a National Trust property (Belton House), and a local branch of the Tree Charter – to plant trees with young people and communities.

It was fun, yet cold, appearing on the BBC Breakfast programme at dawn on the Charter Day, 6th November. Even the Daily Express thought our rumbustious bonhomie was worth reporting about next day.

[image error]Tree Charter launch – the Fund4Trees peloton with Woodland Trust CEO Beccy Speight (right) and the new Tree Charter

I recorded a short film each day of the Charter Ride. Watch these and find out more about the work of the dynamic small charity Fund4Trees.

“Natural treasures, in roots, wood and leaves, for beauty, for use, the air that we breathe. Imagine: a wood starts with one small seed. We’re stronger together – people and trees.”

Opening of the Charter for Trees, Woods and People by Harriet Fraser.

The launch of the new Charter for Trees, Woods and People is just the end of the first chapter. Hopefully it is the beginning of a new movement for society to stand up for trees.

[image error] Charter for Trees, Woods and People

Find out more about the Tree Charter

Tagged: cycling, Fund4Trees, fundraising, tree charter

The cycle of trees, woods and people

In January this year I wrote about the 800th year anniversary of the Charter of the Forest, in the form of the new Charter for Trees, Woods and People – read my earlier post. The launch of the new Charter is now just one week away, taking place in Lincoln Castle on Monday 6th November.

[image error] Fund4Trees

Since then I hatched a mad plan: to cycle from London to Lincoln to celebrate the Charter launch. Mad because it’s nearly 200 miles, mad because it is November . . . but it’s for a great cause as it will be undertaken by tree and cycling charity Fund4Trees.

[image error]Gabriel Hemery receives a cutting from the Ankerwycke Yew from Ray Hawes of The National Trust for the Fund4Trees Charter Ride

Alongside fellow trustees, plus a few guest riders, we will be setting off from Runnymede on Friday 3rd November, arriving in Lincoln to coincide with the launch. We will be visiting schools and community groups along the route, to talk trees and of course to plant some too.

Earlier this week I received a rare propagated cutting of the Ankerwycke Yew—under whose boughs the related charter the Magna Carta was signed too years earlier in 1215—from The National Trust. We’ll be carrying the tree with us to be planted in Lincoln.

Why not follow our progress, including a daily video, by visiting the Fund4Trees website.

Read more about the Charter Ride

Tagged: Ankerwycke, arboriculture, Charter, cycling, Fund4Trees, trees, yew

Unique green gifts this Christmas

I’ve long thought there’s a curious affinity between people with a ‘green’ passion, and an appreciation of music, cycling, books and cooking. I hope my slightly unusual list of gift ideas this Christmas, which follows the theme, is helpful to those with loved ones who would appreciate an unusual green gift.

Please note this post includes affiliate links. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, I’ll get a small commission that supports the cost of running this blog. Read more. Please note that I have no relationship with any of these items, other than my own book, and I receive no commission from the manufacturers.

Wooden-frame bicycle

This is a high-end item to start with but for anyone who likes wood and cycling, this could be a dream come true. Renovo is a US make which specialise in bikes made from hardwoods. Drool away . . .

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If a complete wooden bike is out of your budget don’t despair as there are other options on the theme. Search for wooden handlebars or mudguards for instance. If your dearest likes a challenge you could gift a make-at-home wooden bike frame kit from the Bamboo Bicycle Club (who also offer London-based making workshops).

Gift a book patronage

[image error]Regular readers will know I’ve written a new book, Green Gold, with publishers Unbound. It will be published when crowdfunding completes. Every Book Patron who pledges their support will see their name, or the name of a loved one, listed in its pages.

Making your loved one a Book Patron would be a very special gift for any bookworm with an interest in a historical novel involving adventure, nature, and perhaps (spoiler!) a little love. Find out more at: unbound.com/books/green-gold

As the book will not be published this year (2017) I’ve designed a FREE unique gift card so you can give something in physical form this Christmas. You can print it at home and complete it with the name of the Book Patron, and add your own special message on the back. Click here to access the card

 

Ocarina

[image error]A small (usually) wooden musical instrument used to play outdoors and at social occasions, especially accompanying dancing and capable of livening any festival. They fit easily in the hand and are very portable, more so than an accordion or bagpipes, and have a lovely resonant melodic tone. You can make your own, buy kits, attend a making course, or of course buy one readymade. This beautiful version called ‘Forest Whisper’ is available from Amazon.

Gift a tree with a difference

Gifting a tree is perhaps the ultimate green gift, as your love will leave a lasting legacy. Fortunately there many gift options available, from dedicating trees in woodlands (e.g. with Woodland Trust), to giving a tree for your loved one to plant in a place of their choosing.

[image error]But, have you considered combining a living plant with a culinary treat? Some trees and shrubs allow the gourmet summer truffle Tuber aestivum var. uncinatum to grow on their roots. In the case of a hazel, your loved one will be able to harvest not only its nuts but combine them with home-grown truffles. You may have to wait a while for that dinner invite but it will be worth it!

This hazel is sent direct to your door from a specialist grower. An oak option is also available.

For the fire
[image error]Fire colour cones

Woodburners have fuelled a resurgence in log fires in the home. Gifting a well-seasoned ash log would certainly warm your loved-ones toes but may seem a little too ‘out-of-the-box’. Check out these pine cones which emit beautiful colour flames as they burn. Boxed to make them easy to wrap and post. Available from Lakeland via Amazon

Looking for further inspiration? Here’s another list I published a few years ago:

Top ten gifts for the tree and nature lover

 

Tagged: books, Christmas, cycling, food, gifts, green, music

Gift a book patronage

My latest book is to be published by Unbound, a specialist crowdfunding publisher. Why not gift a book patronage this Christmas for a truly unique present. Every supporter will have their name listed inside the book.

Giving a book which doesn’t yet exist

The one downside to the gift of a Green Gold book patronage is that the book doesn’t yet exist (remember it’s your support which will make it happen)! To help you give something physical to prove your endearing love, I’ve designed a special gift card that you can print at home. Sized as DL format (A4 paper in width but 1/3 in height), it will be easy to pop into an envelope after filling in the patron’s details and adding a personal message on the back.

[image error] Green Gold book patron gift card. Click to download.
Naming your Giftee

Luckily it’s quite easy to gift the Patronage of Green Gold to a loved one so that their name will appear correctly in the book.

Once you’ve created an account on the Unbound website, go ahead and purchase the book.
Navigate to your list of ‘Supported Projects‘.
Look for Green Gold and for the ‘. . .’ on the far right of the pledge details.
Click on the ‘. . .’ and in the small box which appears below select ‘Update the name in the back‘ option, and follow instructions.

See the example below.

[image error] Screenshot of supported projects in your Unbound account. To change the name of the Book Patron, click on ‘. . .’ to access the update name option.
And finally

Remember that if you choose a higher pledge level, your giftee may receive a range of further unusual offerings, including an invitation to the book launch, a pack of seeds, their name in the front of the book, or even a dedication on the frontispiece.

Visit the book page on the Unbound website: www.unbound.com/books/green-gold

Tagged: books, Christmas, crowdfunding, gifts, Green Gold, Patron

Green Gold newsletter No.8

I’ve just released No.8 of my occasional newsletters featuring stories linked to the creation of my latest book GREEN GOLD.  

In this bumper issue, expect curious links between flesh-sucking fish and Prince Albert, oh, . . . and more than one new extract from the book.

View the newsletter online

I offer a Newsletter which focuses on campaigns and projects. It is sent out only occasionally. This is separate to a subscription to my blog which will send an email straight to your inbox with every new post. Subscribe to my Newsletter

Tagged: books, botany, crowdfunding, exploration, Green Gold, lamprey, Prince Albert, Victorian

Feature in The Botanics

[image error] The Botanics magazine, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, autumn 2017

It’s great to see an article about my current book project, Green Gold, featuring in the autumn issue of Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh’s magazine The Botanics.

Green Gold is a biographical fiction novel about plant hunter John Jeffrey, combining meticulously-conducted research of true events with fictionalised personal exploits. I am planning to hold an exhibition at RBGE next year, in collaboration with botanical artist Nicola Macartney. Both the publication of the book and the exhibition at RBGE are entirely reliant upon support from future readers as this is a crowd-funded project.

Find out how you can support the project, and have your name (or that of a loved one) included in the book, at: www.unbound.com/books/green-gold

Read excerpts from The Botanics magazine here

Tagged: art, books, event

Western hemlock – a new discovery

Following visits to Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) and Benmore Botanic Garden, botanical artist Nicola Macartney (collaborating in my GREEN GOLD book project) has started work painting sketches of western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla) including foliage, cones and a section of bark. These elements will be included in the final painting which will feature in an exhibition planned at RGBE next year.

[image error]Painting sketches of western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla) by Nicola Macartney

The protagonist in GREEN GOLD, plant hunter John Jeffrey, discovered the species on 24th April 1852 in North America during his expedition across the continent. When his sponsors back in Edinburgh received samples from the tree, botanists named it Abies taxifolia. Today, the genus Abies refers to trees classified as firs rather than hemlocks.



More about my collaboration with Nicola Macartney

Nicola Macartney and I are working together with the aim of holding an exhibition at RBGE during 2018 to celebrate the life of the botanical collector John Jeffrey. The exhibition is dependent on GREEN GOLD being successfully funded.

www.nicolamacartney.com

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Tagged: art, book, book development, botany, expedition, Green Gold, plants, trees

Talk at Oxford Blackwells

I’ll be talking about my latest book-in-progress GREEN GOLD at Oxford Blackwells on Friday 13th October (19:00-20:00).

The event is a ‘pledge party’ organised by the publishers Unbound, and I’ll be keeping good company with five other authors offering short talks on an eclectic selection of topics. It promises to be an interesting evening.

Authors:

Kalypso Nicolaidis – Exodus, Reckoning, Sacrifice: Three Meanings of Brexit 

Gabriel Hemery – Green Gold 

Abda Khan – Razia 

Daniel Ross – Bobby Denise is Reigning Rampant 

Robert Woodshaw – The Iron Bird

Kate Bulpitt – Purple People

[image error] Unbound Pledge Party, Blackwells Oxfor

Tickets cost £5 which includes a £5 discount voucher for you to use on the night.

Find out more and buy tickets via Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-unbound-pledge-party-tickets-37422764496

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Tagged: books, event, Green Gold, talk, writing

Communicating forestry

[image error] Gabriel Hemery’s photo on cover of Forestry & Timber News, August 2017

Great to see one of my photographs selected for the cover of the August issue of Confor’s Forestry & Timber News.

Very grateful also to Confor for dedicating a page to promote the crowd-funding campaign in support of my latest book Green Gold.

[image error] Green Gold: the journals of John Jeffrey
Tagged: forestry, photo

Mississippi Yaeger – a mystery solved

” . . . he says the only satisfaction you can get out of a fellow of that kind is to come out here and shoot him through the navel with a Mississippi Yangur, nobody will say anything to you; or if there is an investigation it will be brought in justifiable homicide.”

So wrote William Murray in 19th May 1854 from San Francisco, to his brother Andrew back in Edinburgh, about botanical collector John Jeffrey. Andrew Murray was Secretary to the Oregon Botanical Association – the sponsoring organisation for John Jeffrey’s plant hunting expedition to North America.

During research for my latest book GREEN GOLD I had searched online in vain for more information about a firearm known as the ‘Mississippi Yangur’ but had drawn a blank. Then I heard from specialist John Spangler from www.oldguns.net who kindly provided the following which I think suggests that the spelling ‘Yangur’ is likely to have been a transcription error in the minute book of the Oregon Botanical Association.

[image error]Mississippi Yaeger rifle

“. . . it almost certainly refers the U.S. Model 1841 .54 caliber percussion rifle. These are exceptionally handsome pieces, with most of the hardware made from brass, a nice walnut stock, and the barrel a brown color and the lock sort of a mottled mix of black, gray, blue and straw colors.

Adopted in 1841, these first saw action during the Mexican war where a regiment of volunteers from Mississippi under command of Colonel, later Secretary of War and even later President of the Confederate States of America, Jefferson Davis. Hence the “Mississippi” name which helped distinguish them from 2 or 3 other models of rifles then in use by the Army. Also, the brass appearance and rifled bore resembled (to some extent, but not a lot) the German rifles used by hunters or elite rifle armed German regiments known as Jaegers, often written Yaegers, or just Yagers.

Since both Yaeger and Mississippi were both unofficial nicknames, their use would be inconsistent and vary with whoever was telling the story and used as a single descriptive term, or combined to perhaps make the term clear to an audience who was only familiar with one of the terms, but not all knowing the same term.”

My sincere thanks to John Spangler of Antique and Collectable Firearms and

Militaria Headquarters for a superb answer and for solving a 163-year-old mystery: www.oldguns.net

[image error] Green Gold: the journals of John Jeffrey
Tagged: antiques, books, guns, history