Intro and Theme tune: Princess of the Ocean by Carl Cape Band featuring Steve Deegan, Carl Cape and Jamie Robb (fiddle).

Carl Stiansen:  Hello and welcome to the Nature Garden Podcast, with me, Carl Stiansen, and the Weekending Show Team from Lionheart Radio. 

Thanks for joining us on a canny wee wander down the garden path and country lane… with the birds and the bees, and the flowers and trees..

In this episode, Shakespearian inspiration, cuddy ducks and saints, and the beautiful sound of sedge warblers.

We’re off going back in time to the era of some of the classic  herbalists and plays… Tom Pattinson’s brushing up on his Shakespeare … 

Tom Cadwallander’s on the Aln estuary watching cuddy ducks and listening to the songs of the sedge warbler.

And we’ll have some gardening Jobs for the Week with Tom P… all coming up… on the Nature garden podcast.

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Carl Stiansen: William Shakespeare, was born in 1564, and grew up in Stratford-upon-Avon and his plays reflect a huge interest in all things botanical. He was much inspired by Elizabethan gardening and herbalism, and here’s Tom Pattinson to tell us more… and how One touch of nature makes the whole world kin.

 Tom Pattinson: audio

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Carl Stiansen: Cuthbert was born in North Northumbria around 635 - the same year in which Aidan founded the monastery on the Holy Island of Lindisfarne. Some 30 years later, Cuthbert returned to his roots and ran the monastery on Lindisfarne, where he became a hugely popular and influential figure in Christianity. Tom Cadwallender’s enjoying the cooing and crooning of the eider, a duck made famous by Saint Cuthbert.

Tom Cadwallender: audio

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Carl Stiansen: Tom’s also time travelling this week… to the 16th and 17th centuries, and so, let’s delve a little deeper into the wonderful world of woodbine and sweet musk-roses in the Shakesperian garden. 

Tom Pattinson: audio

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Carl Stiansen: There’s a bonny wee summer visitor, that spends winters south of the Sahara Desert who is making its lovely presence known around the county… have a listen to this, and ‘hello again’, Tom Cadwallender… 

Tom Cadwallender: audio

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And to the sound of wor blackbird, here’s Tom with some things to be getting on with in the garden.

Tom Pattinson: audio: Jobs for the Week

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Carl Stiansen:  You’ve been listening to gardener, Tom Pattinson; and birder, and Tom Cadwallender from the British Trust for Ornithology… and Steve Lowe will be back with us next time round with some wonderful tales from the archaeological dig at Felton. 

Don’t forget, you can listen back to all of our previous programmes via the Nature Garden Podcast… that’s the Nature Garden Podcast. I’m Carl Stiansen… thanks for listening, and enjoy your gardening and time outdoors with nature… bye for now.