Look at this lot and, if you have ever ripped up some ivy, feel bad about it.
Honeybees harvest ivy to make strong dark honey. When we had bees I tried it in salad dressing. The result was disgusting, with heavy undertones of TCP.
Ivy honey is a strong antiseptic, sent to us by nature in case we get sick over winter. Nature is flat out right now, sending us all kinds of nutrients and remedies for winter. Some of them laid out more beautifully than shop displays.
If you are a human, ivy is a cheap and easy decoration for your wedding. Dangle it about, the marquee will look amazing and you will be displaying the symbol of fidelity. Ivy gets that one because it doesn’t easily let go of anything it’s attached itself to. It could also be a symbol for divorce, what with all the unravelling, but divorce doesn’t get a plant.
It is said that you can tell the future with ivy. Here is an ancient saying from Google.
‘Some people, on the eve of New Year, place a leaf of ivy in a bowl of water and let it stay till 6th January, the eve of Twelfth Night. The fate of this ivy sprig is believed to predict what the upcoming year will be like.’
That is ridiculous. Whether dried up and dead, rotting or sprouting, there is no way that an ivy leaf could have predicted a pandemic on January 6th. According to my diary the leaf would have needed to wait until January 23rd before spotting a problem.
Apologies in advance for nearly calling it a Chinese Flu, luckily bad writing turned it into ‘Chinse’.
Many humans argue with ivy. It chokes flowerbeds, splits walls apart and pulls down buildings. We like to have control and so does the ivy. It is a constant battle with humans ripping it up to protect their homes and ivy growing back again to feed the insects. Round here the ivy is winning.
Because it is evergreen and grows so fast, ivy is also a symbol of immortality. Something that is not a given any more. Well it never was, but with a virus on the rampage it is even less of a given.
The great thing about realising that you are not immortal is that you get out and go to nice places while you can. Here are a couple.
Immortality can to be bolstered by still not drinking alcohol and choosing fizzy sugary drinks instead. This week’s recipe is for Raspberry Crush and is cheaper than the shop version. Good for adding more to the total of ‘money saved by not drinking wine’.
Ingredients. Raspberries, sugar, water and a few more raspberries. Method. Boil senseless, strain, mix with fizzy water and re fill empty bottle. Nobody will know the difference unless they spot sludge at the bottom of the glass.
Outside the garden students are back. Half are locked up to self isolate, the other half have been partying as hard as they can because they are only young and that’s what students do. Everyone else is complaining about students partying, apart from the ones worrying about their children being locked up.
And we all pray for Trump and his staff in one way or another.
always good brightens up my day. Makes me think and god do I miss a secret place on Bodmin moor and the mouth of the Ex. it just gets better overtime love it x
Walking is still permitted. And free. And good for us.
Love learning here all about plants hidden meanings and properties!
So do I but they are getting a bit samey. Might have to start making them up soon.
Fab Jo. Great start to a mad windy Penwith day. x
Thanks. Try to resist going surfing for the next day or two.xx