Keeper of the Soils

The postponed wassail in the Community Orchard was this afternoon, having been pushed back by the wild weather two weeks ago. We sang the wassailing songs, sprinkled last year's cider on the tree roots, hung up toast in the branches to continue the wassailing traditions. Natalie was there, as 'Keeper of the Soils', wearing the cloak and collecting another soil for the collection.
 
From the North Light Arts website:
This community created cape, initiated by artist Natalie Taylor along with North Light Arts is for the Keeper of the Soils to wear at celebratory occasions. The Keeper, who may be a different person each time, celebrates Scotland’s rich agricultural and food growing heritage by receiving gifted soil samples from growing areas across East Lothian and the Central Belt, and keeping them safe inside the cape’s many internal pockets. The pockets are being made with the people of Dunbar during workshop sessions led by Natalie.

The cape was first worn on the eve of the Pilgrimage for COP26 at an event in Dunbar organised by North Light Arts, Sustaining Dunbar and John Muir's Birthplace. During the event there was a special soil ceremony, at the Battery in Dunbar Harbour, were the first four donated soils were added to the cape.
Since then over 20 soils from East Lothian, Central Belt and further afield have been collected.