Souling Songs

We sang these two songs. the first "soul cake" sang by children and the second comes from a mummers play from Cheshire. These players were performed by adults going from public house to public house in return for money food and beer. the origins of "trick or treat". Most counties will have had their own traditional players and songs. i tried to find one from Devon but sadly no luck.
However, i had the joy to take my daughter and her friends out "trick or treating", all had attended the souling day and sang "soul cake" unprompted as we walked. A success in my eyes to bring alive again these beautiful traditions.

SOUL CAKE

Chorus:
soul cake, soul cake,
please good missus a soul cake.
an apple, a pear, a plum or a cherry,
any good thing to make the heart merry.

soul cake, soul cake,
please good missus a soul cake,
one for peter, two for paul,
three for them who made us all

Oh bless the master of this house,
and the missus also,
and all the little children,
who round your table grow.

the cattle in your stable,
the dogs at your front door,
all who dwell within your gates,
we wish you ten times more.

Chorus

Go down into your cellar,
 to see what you may find,
if your barrels aren't to empty,
 we hope that you'll be kind.

be kind with an apple,
 or maybe a pear,
then we'll come no more a souling,
until this time next year.

Chorus

the streets are very dirty,
my shoes are very thin.
I've got a little pocket
 to put a penny in.

if you haven't got a penny,
a ha'penny will do.
if you haven't got a ha'penny
then I'll bless you.

Chorus.


SOULING SONG

Chorus
oh we are one two three good hearty lads and we're all in one mind
for we have come a souling good nature to find
for we have come a souling for your money and your beer
then we'll come no more so nigh to you till this time next year.

go down unto your cellar boys and there you will find
some strong beer some cider some ale or port wine
with your white bread and cheese it will fill us with cheer
then we'll come no more so nigh to you till this time next year.

Chorus

oh come dearest mistress do not tally to spin
but to untop a jug for to draw some ale in
when we have gotten it how soon you shall see
that when we have drunken it how merry we will be

Chorus

come pick up your sackies your sackies good dame
for wi'walking and wi'talking we've gained a good name
for wi'walking and wi'talking we have gotten very dry
and the last of your neighbours did not us deny

Chorus

our time it is precious and we cannot long stay
for we're a company designed for to taste of your ale
we want none of your small beer nor none of your pale
but the one that's in the kinker keg that's next to the wall

Chorus

Soul Cakes

soul cakes are from Halloween of old. It has been tradition to make spiced breads with a cross on the top to celebrate the four phases of the year. Hot cross buns have the same origin but over time their representation and purpose has become Christianised. On Halloween children and the poor would knock from door to door "souling", singing for money, food and soul cakes. they would then leave a soul cake on their door step as an offering to the spirits with a lit candle. the children would then sing and hope all night that the spirits would be kind enough to leave them the soul cake as a treat in the morning.
Instead of giving out sweets this year, i baked over 200 of these soul cakes and left them out in a basket on my door step next to my carved pumpkin, Swede and aubergine. The spirits had not seen fit to leave me any though........success!

 

Souling Sucess

A big thank you to all who attended our souling day in colwell wood. it was fantastic fun. when we arrived we got ourselves each a piece of hessian we could tie around ourselves like a cape and threaded, leaves, sticks, wool and anything else we could find to help disguise us from the woodland spirits.

Once disguised we crept into the wood to see what we could find.........low and behold.....woodland spirits. Handmade with woven willow and lavender stems.

As we gathered them up we left soul cakes as an offering............

We even found death, one of our characters for our story of stingy jack and his jack o'lantern. all these characters sat with us to listen to this story and learn and sing souling songs as we ate soul cakes.

Thanks to jenny wellwood from soundart radio who recorded us as we sang.

Thanks to emma capper for soul cakes and hoopla's we played afterwards. Also thanks to craig whyte for our woodland games. Hoopla's, assault course and all the rest inspired by the children.

Karen also made some beautiful bread for our picnic and helped set up.

So once again thank you to everyone who came and got involved. i hope you've been inspired for next year!

 

Rachel Laila Rafiqi

Souling day activities

Our Halloween Event!!!!

Winter Program.....Don't forget to pencil the dates into your diaries!

Autum Activites sunday sept 30th and goodbye from Emma

Since its creation in 2010, Muddy Mums have appeared at many events offering creative playful activities in our local natural environments. We started out transforming our mums into merfolk in a magical kingdom in the sand at Goodrington, discovered the wildlife on Totnes high street through a quiz that took us on the garden trail provided by gardening for health. Fantastic boggarts at National Play day, giant snakes and ladders at the Jubilee picnic, magical autumnal mobiles at the anniversary of the Leechwell garden and bees on sticks at the Lamb garden to help us identify the bee friendly plants.

This year we have been holding the regular sessions for Kids corner in the Leechwell garden. Planting seeds, making bird scarers from tetra paks and a good old fashioned scarecrow. We have had fun discovering the world of the mini beast With Duncan Allen and Tarryn Castle of PUPA education and recently made luxurious herbal bath bags with Tania Bryson.

It has been a wonderful journey, making friends and wondering at the ingenuity of nature and our place in the natural world. I am very grateful to all the folk who have given of their time freely to support and enrich muddy mums with their presence and skills.

From Mid October I am passing the reins to Rachel Rafiki with confidence and great excitement. She is a natural forager for life with a passion for folk music and desire to share the knowledge held with in it.

Hold on to your hats as Muddy Mums go really wild, connecting us to the land through the wisdom of our elders, celebrating the seasons and nourishing ourselves through wild foods and lots of play.

Emma Capper

We were in the Leechwell Garden on Sunday and had great fun making an Autumn picture from found materials. Although, i think us adults enjoyed it even more than the kids!!

how the garden grows..finally!

Scarecrow did his job

The clover..so soft and springy

Preparing our flower salad

flower salad from the garden

relaxing after a busy session

house leek.. wow!

one of the residents

THIS SUNDAY we have entomologists Duncan Allen and Tarryn Castle of PUPA-education in the Garden
Don't miss this fantastic opportunity to discover the world of the mini-beast in the Leechwell garden and learn how to make a little bug house to take home for your favorite creatures in your garden or allotment.

wear old clothes and bring any natural object that has lots of neat nooks and crannies for bugs to hide away in.
You may also want to bring or borrow a camera.

suggested donation £3

This event is part of National play day

Planting up and making bird scarers

 Week two on the kid's garden. Despite rain the was a gang of us, dodging showers and coppicing hazel for the magic beans to grow up. Planting seeds and seedlings and painting some stones to decorate our patch. Check out the great strawberry planter we filled, made by David, a local resident and our silvery crow scarers made with...you guessed it! TETRA PAKs.

Lauren pushing the hazel supports in for the beans to grow up

Cornflowers, love-in-the-mist within the stones and calendula seedlings planted

All done for today

 Join us next Sunday to pot up some flowers to sell at the garden party on 20th May and make a scarecrow for our patch.

Preparing the soil and finding friends

 We had a great turn out for the first session to turn over and prepare the soil for planting. We also potted up a runner bean and a sunflower seed to grow at home. We made pots from tetra paks and loo roll inners. for more images and up dates on the project go to Kid's corner on facebook

Look at the size of this worm we discovered!

Kids Gardening Club

Hello everyone,
It's been a while since we've been in touch. Hope spring is blooming marvellously for you.
Muddy Mums has been asked to run a kids gardening club in the wonderful Leechwell garden.
 A chance for those of you without a garden or unsure of where to start to come along and discover with me the joy of gardening and generally delight in eachother and the beauty and bounty of Leechwell Garden.
We have our own bed to plant vegetables, flowers and herbs.
You will learn about the properties and uses of the plants in the garden.
Discover how we can flourish and live harmoniously with the natural world and it's hard working inhabitants beneath and above the soil.
These sessions are open to all the family


The first session is on Sunday 15th April 3 - 4.30 pm
We will be getting to know the Garden.
Preparing the soil and designing our garden.
Potting up some seeds for you to nurse at home and bring back when they are big enough to plant out.

Wear old clothes ( pray for sun) and prepare to have lots of fun.
Bring a drink and a snack

suggested donation £3 -. Tools and plants are kindly lent or donated by the Leechwell Garden Association and Gardening for Health. If you would like to volunteer with Muddy Mums do get in touch.

looking forward to seeing you all

Emma Capper
             

Leechwell Garden 16th October

Come and join the fun on 16th October 2-4pm to celebrate the unveiling of a new sculpture in Leechwell Gardens, Totnes  
Artist Emma Capper and Theo Tanser will be offering an activity to make your own mobile from natural treasures. 
This activity is open to all ages.
Cost: donation

 Sculpture Prize
Grand Unveiling
of
Rosie Musgrave’s Three Guardians
Officiated by Matt Harvey
Sunday October 16th - 3.00 pm
Tombola – Entertainment - Homemade Refreshments
Celebrating the First Anniversary of the Garden 2-4 pm

National Play Day Wed 3rd August

Muddy Mums is taking part in National Play Day.

Come down and have fun making your own cheeky Boggart, (a stick puppet made of natural materials)

Let your imagination run wild creating your own puppet show with your friends in our handy puppet theatre.

Then take your Boggart home to look after your favourite plant.

It's all FREE!!

We will be down at Borough Park, Totnes from 10-1pm 

look forward to seeing you there. 

http://www.playday.org.uk/playday_events/2010_events.aspx

Relax in a Yurt on 13th August.

 Unfortunately we've had to postpone this event, but hope to offer it again in the future.

Wildlife Activity Trail

10th July  1 - 3pm

 Come follow the clues on our wildlife trail through the town and discover the new public gardens in Totnes.

Get hands on in the gardens and enjoy some herb tea and home made cake in Leechwell Gardens.

Meet at Heath's Garden ( between South Street and the main car park) at 1pm

Wear old clothes and bring a drink.
Adult +  child  £3
Additional children £1
For more info contact Emma on 01803 862 821 or email muddymums@gmail.com

Relax in a yurt - 13th August 10-1pm

Relax away the day -A delightful little workshop in a beautiful setting with Yurt for covered space is being held in Ashprington for Muddy Mums where mums/carers and their children have the chance to learn how to massage each other, do some fun yoga together and create their own hedgerow massage oil to take away. Childrens yoga mats are supplied, adults need to bring their own although I do have a couple spare. It would also be good to bring blankets.

For more details contact Pippa on 01803712830

Riverside Tales - 4th June

Come and walk by the Dart, listen to and support your children to make up the story of their adventure walk, bring a picnic, and paddle at low tide.  Enjoy an afternoon of fun, wonder, and imaginations running riot. There’s a story just waiting around every corner, under each leaf, and in every child’s heart.

Join storyteller WynnAlice from 1.30 to 4.30pm. Meet at Long Marsh Car Park, Steamer Quay, Totnes. Bring wellies, flip flops, towel, drinks and a picnic, small plastic bucket for collecting treasures, favourite fairytale clothes/hat, and imagination. 07885 471363 for info. 

 

£8 per mum/ female carer with 1 child, £1 per extra child.

Big draw by the Sea - 14 May

Come create a magical kingdom in the sand by the sea.

Bring a bucket, to collect found treasures for decoration and design, and a camera.

Led by local artist Emma Capper

Saturday 14th May, Goodrington Sands  (TBC) - Find me on the sand below the Inn on the Quay.

10 - 1pm

£5 mum + 1 child aged 5-10yrs

£1 additional children

contact us to find out what's coming up...

muddymums@gmail.com