I’ve received such beautiful pressies and wondered how to return a sign of what you all mean to me.
I decided on a tree – watch out for it when you return in September. It’s a purple beech (Fagus sylvatica f purpurea). Hopefully it will stand in the playground of Scoil Choca representing strong friendships when I’m only a distant memory.
In Celtic mythology, Fagus was the god of beech trees. The tree was thought to have medicinal properties: the leaves were often used to relieve swelling.
Like common beech, copper beech timber is used for a variety of purposes, including fuel, furniture, cooking utensils, tool handles and sports equipment. The wood burns well and was traditionally used to smoke herring. The edible nuts, or masts, were once used to feed pigs, and in France they are still sometimes roasted and used as a coffee substitute.
