As the Season Turns

In July, the ancient woodland cools us down - while we explore the hot-weather roots of some of the month's many names. In the garden Zoe gives us some charms against pests, and we find out what to eat and plant in the veg patch. Our folktale tells of fairies, while The Breath sing 'Only Stories', a song about Ríoghnach's childhood summers spent in West Cork. As the Season Turns is a podcast prese...

For June's Found Sound, Alice meets science and nature writer Chantal Lyons at Woorgreens Nature Reserve in the heart of the Forest of Dean, to spot the elusive wild boar - learning about their habits, expressions and natural history along the way. Found Sounds are sonic scrapbooks of field recordings and interviews with people keeping heritage crafts alive. They are part of As the Season Turns ,...

For June, we spend time in the garden - with squirrels and foxes, nectar-rich flowers and a glut of early summer vegetables. The Breath play 'For You', and we consider the old names for the month and its moons. We delve deep into the Forest of Dean to look for rewilded boar, and recount a folktale about them from the Brothers Grimm. As the Season Turns is an award-winning podcast presented by Lia...

This month, Alice meets writer and poet Dr JC Niala and artist Sam Skinner at Elder Stubbs Allotments in Oxford - where they have recreated a 1918-style allotment using heirloom seeds. They discuss healing and heritage, and learn how to grow the straightest carrots. Found Sounds are sonic scrapbooks of field recordings and interviews with people keeping heritage crafts alive. They are part of As t...

In May's episode we explore the folklore of this lovely month - green men, Robin Hood, the moon and maypoles. We cook from the garden and make German May wine for parties. We hunt for swan's-neck thyme-moss, stay up til dawn watching the Eta Aquarids meteor shower and hear 'Land of My Other', a song from The Breath. As the Season Turns is an award-winning podcast presented by Lia Leendertz and cre...

April's Found Sound is the second part of an exploration into foraging. In this episode, Alice meets wild foods expert Miles Irving to forage for common hogweed and drink rosebay willowherb tea. Please note that common hogweed should only be eaten cooked and those with celery allergies should avoid it. Common hogweed's lookalikes include the invasive giant hogweed, which should not be handled or e...

For April we begin the month with some last-minute Easter crafts and end it in the bluebell wood. We tell tales of the stars and cook from the garden, learning along the way why you should leave a wild patch amid your planting. And The Breath give us a song for long April journeys. As the Season Turns is an award-winning podcast presented by Lia Leendertz and created by Ffern, makers of small-batc...

In our Found Sound for March, Alice visits Folkestone, Kent, where our very own Zoe Gilbert takes her out foraging along the clifftops - where they find alexanders, yarrow and ribwort plantain. Settle in for a relaxing ten minutes that will help you feel part of nature, wherever you are. Found Sounds are sonic scrapbooks of field recordings and interviews with people keeping heritage crafts alive....

In March’s episode we celebrate the spring equinox with a recipe for wild garlic salt, a stroll round the ancient woodland and a seasonal fairytale. Zoe brings us folk characters from the garden pond, while The Breath play 'Land of my Other', an uplifting song for spring. As the Season Turns is an award-winning podcast presented by Lia Leendertz and created by Ffern, makers of small-batch, seasona...

In a Found Sound for February, Alice Boyd visits Norfolk to record the songs of late winter birds, travelling from woodland to wetland to ocean. Settle in for a relaxing ten minutes that will help you feel part of nature, wherever you are. Thanks go to RSPB Warden Ben Lewis. Found Sounds are sonic scrapbooks of field recordings and interviews with people keeping heritage crafts alive. They are par...

For February, we tell tales of birds and bad weather - and explore whose songs we might hear in the ancient woodland. The Breath sing 'Don't Rush It', reminding us to slow down during this short month, while elsewhere we visit peatlands and cook seasonal recipes from the garden.⁠ As the Season Turns is an award-winning podcast presented by Lia Leendertz and created by Ffern, makers of small-batch,...

In a Found Sound for January, Alice Boyd visits Dartmoor to record the sounds of this wild place. Walking the windswept tors and woodlands, Alice explores the landscape's natural history, and looks towards its future. Settle in for a relaxing ten minutes that will help you feel part of nature, wherever you are. Thanks go to Luke and Caroline of Collihole Farm. Found Sounds are sonic scrapbooks of...

For our first episode of 2024 we look at names for January, old and new. The ancient woodland is deep in its winter silence, but we find signs of life in glittering wood moss. Zoe Gilbert tells frosty tales and we hear the Romani story of 'Mossycoat' - while we welcome Ríoghnach Connolly and Stuart McCallum of The Breath as this year's guest musicians. As the Season Turns is an award-winning podca...

December. A very old Christmas song, 'On the Morning of Christmas Day' - likely 15th Century. Caneuon y Flwyddyn is an album of Welsh folk songs by Gwilym Bowen Rhys first compiled for the 2023 edition of As the Season Turns . Mastered by Geoff Bird. Artwork by Gemma Koomen. © Gwilym Bowen Rhys. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

November. A popular 19th-century song that describes how wonderful and comforting the warm hearth and home is when the weather starts to turn, and the stormy heavens 'blow their bugles to signal in the coming of winter.' Caneuon y Flwyddyn is an album of Welsh folk songs by Gwilym Bowen Rhys first compiled for the 2023 edition of As the Season Turns . Mastered by Geoff Bird. Artwork by Gemma Koome...

October. One of the many welsh words for Halloween is 'ysbrydnos' which means 'ghost/spirit night'. The singer describes himself tossing and turning in bed - then all of a sudden the ghost of his late lover appears, and starts conjuring up a fancy suit that floats in the air in front of him that he is to wear to go bury her. Very spooky. Caneuon y Flwyddyn is an album of Welsh folk songs by Gwilym...

September. A threshing song, written by a farm hand, describing the excitement of the day the steam thresher came to the big farm. The Welsh word for September is 'Medi' which translates as 'reaping'. Caneuon y Flwyddyn is an album of Welsh folk songs by Gwilym Bowen Rhys first compiled for the 2023 edition of As the Season Turns . Mastered for Ffern by Geoff Bird. Artwork by Gemma Koomen. © Gwily...

August. A haunting love song comparing the singer's love, Gwen, to the flowers of summer - as birds of prey circle above. Caneuon y Flwyddyn is an album of Welsh folk songs by Gwilym Bowen Rhys first compiled for the 2023 edition of As the Season Turns . Mastered for Ffern by Geoff Bird. Artwork by Gemma Koomen. © Gwilym Bowen Rhys. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

July. A joyous song that's often sung in the pub. Caneuon y Flwyddyn is an album of Welsh folk songs by Gwilym Bowen Rhys first compiled for the 2023 edition of As the Season Turns . Mastered for Ffern by Geoff Bird. Artwork by Gemma Koomen. © Gwilym Bowen Rhys. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

June. A song sung in Welsh schools - usually in a round - celebrating the return of the cuckoo. Caneuon y Flwyddyn is an album of Welsh folk songs by Gwilym Bowen Rhys first compiled for the 2023 edition of As the Season Turns . Mastered for Ffern by Geoff Bird. Artwork by Gemma Koomen. © Gwilym Bowen Rhys. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May. A Mayday wassailing song, written by a 17th-century poet who went by the name 'Eos Ceiriog' - the nightingale of the Ceiriog Valley. Caneuon y Flwyddyn is an album of Welsh folk songs by Gwilym Bowen Rhys first compiled for the 2023 edition of As the Season Turns . Mastered for Ffern by Geoff Bird. Artwork by Gemma Koomen. © Gwilym Bowen Rhys. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more i...

April. A song describing the beauty of the singer's love with the emerging flowers of April - but the singer's heart is as brittle as a dry reed. This is an example of 'old verses' - thousands of verses that can be fitted together in different combinations, all to the same melody. Caneuon y Flwyddyn is an album of Welsh folk songs by Gwilym Bowen Rhys first compiled for the 2023 edition of As the...

March. A very old love song that mentions flowers, birds, melting waxen hearts - and, of course, death. Caneuon y Flwyddyn is an album of Welsh folk songs by Gwilym Bowen Rhys first compiled for the 2023 edition of As the Season Turns . Mastered for Ffern by Geoff Bird. Artwork by Gemma Koomen. © Gwilym Bowen Rhys Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

February. A song to guard against heartbreak and bad weather. Caneuon y Flwyddyn is an album of Welsh folk songs by Gwilym Bowen Rhys first compiled for the 2023 edition of As the Season Turns . Mastered for Ffern by Geoff Bird. Artwork by Gemma Koomen. © Gwilym Bowen Rhys Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

January. A Welsh carol for the new year. Caneuon y Flwyddyn is an album of Welsh folk songs by Gwilym Bowen Rhys first compiled for the 2023 edition of As the Season Turns. Mastered for Ffern by Geoff Bird. Artwork by Gemma Koomen. © Gwilym Bowen Rhys Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.