One spring day, our skeins of wool hung in the breeze on the porch of our dyeing cabin, drying in the open air. We had dyed them in shades of red using our emblematic plant, Rubia tinctorum, and now they formed soft bands of colour, like a small, shifting landscape. That day, Marta, the dyer, discovered a small mystery: the skeins were torn and frayed.
The culprits were great tits and blue tits, gathering tufts of wool from our skeins to build their nests! The discovery filled us with emotion and tenderness.
It’s possible that these tiny eggs now lie nestled in red, just as children in nearby villages once dyed their Easter eggs long ago.
The thought that this year’s nests might hold more warmth and a new colour brings us closer to them. A quiet invitation to keep watching nature, which -as always- offers its hidden surprises.
Elena Goded,
Founder of ÁBBATTE