Phyllis was the wild flower enthusiast. Primrosing in spring was important, as several bundles of these sweet smelling flowers, tied with wool, wrapped in damp cotton, were sent by post in a brown-paper covered shoe-box tied with string, to Aunt May in Barons Court London. If she was lucky she would find nestling among the primroses a small bunch of wild violets.
Primroses were found in ditches and woodland surrounding the cultivated fields. The moss covered ground with the occasional small pond shadowed by the fast growing coppiced trees, were also a place to find dogís mercury and the small wood violets. Delicate bluebells followed later, best left under the trees with their first flush of light green leaves, if picked the flowers would wither before the end of the day.
Coppicing was the harvesting of trees, such as ash and hazel by cutting them down to ground level, using the trunks for fire wood and allowing many upright branches to spring from the stumps, thus providing good lengths of wood for poles and fencing on the farms.
Cowslipping came next. These were found in abundance in the low lying meadows which had lain fallow during the winter months, whilst the cattle were kept in. The meadows would be covered with the sprightly yellow long-stalked plants, easy to pick and nice to display in tall vases. All the meadows had buttercups and daisies, knap weeds and thistles.
Marsh marigolds or kingcups were another find. This would entail a bicycle ride to Easton, where flowing through water meadows the tributary of the River Deben gave muddy banks, where the cattle came to drink and the marsh marigolds with their large yellow heads and fleshy green leaves could flourish. It was here that we once swam in the reedy river, stirring the mud from the bottom and getting entangled in the water cress. Ever fearful that a pike might be lurking in the depths.
Hay making was another amusement. This went on in the field across the road from the Haynings. Playing in the sweet smelling dried grass, constructing dens, throwing it about, helping load it into the wagons was fun, but you had to be aware of the thistles that lurked in its tangled masses. Once we drove in the trailer to Mr. Woodgateís farm, ducking down as we passed the farm house, in case his wife saw us.
Our holidays at Orford gave us seaside plants. The foreshore, which was flooded each high tide, was covered with seaolavender. On the wild Orfordness shingle bank, at that time only reached by boat, were several rarer plants sea-holly, sea-pea, being two of them. Thrift also grew in tufts and another plant with little white flowers. Rabbits and birds inhabited this bleak but fascinating land and seascape which had the crashing waves on the east side and the calmer waters of the river 200 meters to the west. At the mouth of the river, where these two waters met was the turbulent waters of the sand banks.