I couldn’t resist including this beautiful painting of a mermaid by the Pre-Raphaelite artist John William Waterhouse from the Wikipedia Commons. British folklore generally regards sighting of a mermaid to be unlucky and this one certainly has something of the femme fatal about her. I hope people don’t feel she’s too ominous a presence in the light of my previous post on the threat of coastal flooding !

Source : David Williamson, Western Mail 29 October 2009

A “COMPLACENT” attitude to protecting Wales’ coastal defences has left them neglected at a time when the danger of flooding is expected to rise, a major report from the Wales Audit Office warns.

A report published today by In it the Auditor General claims that in the future it may not be possible to protect all communities from the threat of floods and residents may have to leave their homes.

Today’s report, Coastal Erosion and Tidal Flooding Risks in Wales, advises that severe storms will become more common as a result of climate change and sea levels are predicted to rise by around one metre over the next 100 years.

Six out of 10 people live on coastal plains in Wales today and flood risk is predicted to increase by up to 20 times in the next 80 years.

Areas in high risk include:

The Gwent Levels in South Wales;

Aberaeron, Aberystwyth, Tywyn and Borth in Mid Wales;

Kinmel Bay and the stretch from Towyn to Llandudno in North Wales

The Nautilus Project is a further addition to the Green Man portfolio and will explore the environment of coastal Britain, and the wider heritage of the British maritime diaspora, including the importance of the sea in defining national identity and our multi-cultural legacy.

After listening to an excellent “From Fact to Fiction” programme on BBC Radio 4 the other week about a “Parliament of Rooks” – an entertaining satire on MPs expenses – I found this interesting account :

“Rooks are common European members of the genus ‘Corvus’, and the commonest species of the genus in Britain. They nest and roost communally. Their sexual displays are fantastic, with tumbling falls in the air and complex aerobatics. In late winter, just before the breeding season (and at other times of the year too) it is common to see groups of rooks rising above leafless roosting trees, cawing away noisily. Such a group is known as a parliament of rooks, but “parliament” here does not just mean group (like “pride of lions). A medieval belief that is still current in some places is that a parliament of rooks is judging the souls of the recently dead, or that it is enacting laws for the natural kingdom for the coming year. Rooks, by the way, are scavengers….”  David Brez Carlisle Carleton.CA

Also see : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rook

Boris Johnson embraces the Lady of the Waters

The London Mayor’s adventures in South East London waters this week prompts me to update the profile for Lady of the Waters as follows :

This project is concerned with the well-being of the freshwater environment, and habitats connected to lakes, ponds, rivers and streams, together with the biodiversity and health of life which depends upon these, including human’s “Taking the Waters”.

Please see www.greenman-projects.co.uk

I recently came upon the “Polygon” edition of this 1927 Scottish novel, whose author’s Prologue – from which the following extract is taken – seemed to encapsulate my notion of a “Spirit of the Land” :

“Then one evening from the Hill of Deer I saw with other eyes. There was a curious leaden sky, with a blue streak about sunset, so that the shadows lay oddly. My first thought, as I looked at the familiar scene, was that, had I been a general in a campaign, I should have taken special note of Woodilee, for it was a point of vantage. It lay right in the pass between the Scottish midlands and the South – the pass of road and water – yes, and – shall I say ? – of spirit, for it was in the throat of the hills, on the march between the sown and the desert. I was looking east, and to my left and behind me the open downs, farmed to their last decimal of capacity, were the ancient land of Manann, the capital province of Pictdom….

….My mouth shaped the word ‘Melanudrigill’, and I knew that I saw Woodilee as no man had seen it for three centuries, when, as its name tells, it still lay in the shadow of a remnant of the Wood of Caledon, that most ancient forest where once Merlin harped and Arthur mustered his men…”

Incidentally, parts of the the Caledonian Forest are now being restored. Please see www.treesforlife.org.uk

Green Man Projects is a multi-disciplinary enterprise based in Southern Britain whose work portfolio includes :

The Green Man Project
Lady of the Waters
The SIRIUS Project
Land of Britain

The Green Man Project examines the role of “Green Heritage” – wildlife, landscape, farming and forestry, parks and gardens, regional food and drink etc –, together with festivals and other events linked to these, in the development of local distinctiveness and identity.

Lady of the Waters considers the importance “Taking the Waters” for the maintenance of health and wellbeing, whether through recreational swimming in the outdoor environment – sea, lake, river, pond, lido –, immersion in therapeutic baths and spas, or drinking spring water.

The SIRIUS Project looks at the importance of Sustainable Rural Industry and Skills in maintaining our Green Heritage and developing this in the future, with an emphasis on small and medium-sized farm enterprise, together with traditional and modern craft-based industry.

Land of Britain explores the notion of a “Spirit of the Land” in the literature and wider culture of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland, including its manifestation in local religious celebrations, folklore and legend, as well as in the development of Earth-based and Green Spirituality.

In addition to the above, Green Man Projects provides a range of Project Services, including :

Research & Consultancy Studies
Support to Environmental Campaigns
Other Communication-based Resources
Back-Up for Training and other Events

Welcome to Green Man Projects, home of the Green Man and SIRIUS Projects, other miscellaneous conservation and cultural enterprises (including the work of Janet Crookbarrow), and the occasional campaign.

The Green Man Project covers what might broadly be defined as Local Studies :

• Local History & Wildlife
• Landscape, Archaeology
• Craft Industry, Folk Arts etc

The SIRIUS Project is concerned with Sustainable Rural Industry and Skills, and their active preservation and development.

Janet Crookbarrow (aka Janet Mackinnon) writes on earth-based spirituality, folklore, myth and legend, with a particular emphasis on the English Midlands and Welsh Borders.