A - Z Challenge - C

Campanula patula. Calm.

The spreading bellflower Campanula grows in shady woodland, hedgebanks and meadows. Slender branching stems support bell-shaped purple-blue flowers. The capsules which follow are like upside down rounded cones, which release seeds into the wind through pores at the top.

The delicate flowers of the Campanula under the spreading foliage of trees engender awe. To wander in shady woodland during a bright sunny day offers the joy of surrounding nature, the protection of a forest and the acceptance of calm—rather like the state of meditation, when peace banishes all worldly cares.

Keep Calm and Carry On. This wartime slogan from WW2, spread during the bombing, was first resold as a poster in 2001. Then it made its way on to mugs, T-shirts, tea towels, mouse mats, aprons, and all manner of other items. But five years on and the variants are in the thousands some of them offensive. 

Keep Calm And Have a Cupcake. Keep Calm And Have a Beer. Keep Calm And Do the Dishes. Lastly, for Star Wars fans, the Yoda-inspired: Calm You Shall Keep and Carry On You Must.

Proverb: Cold hands, warm heart.

A - Z Challenge - B

Bellis perrenis. Bossy.

This tiny daisy Bellis perrenis forms rosettes of paddle-shaped leaves and the flowers follow the sun's direction. They open by day in dry weather and close at night, hence the name Daisy, a shortened version of Day's Eye. The hardy plants are common lawn weeds.

Of course, weeds are just plants we don't want growing in a certain place. In other words, they're bossy. Or is it the lawn owner that's bossy? Gardener and weed are in a constant state of war because once the plant takes hold, they flower, seed and propagate. The bossy Bellis spoils the gardener's desire for a green lawn by producing pretty white flowers. 

 A different outlook might be needed to change the Victorian era of needing to control our gardens. Grow plants not lawn. See the link here. Also, many people in England are opting for a wildflower meadow instead of a clipped lawn, where plants, flowers and grasses sway in the breeze.

Proverb: Better to remain silent and be thought a fool that to speak and remove all doubt.

A - Z Writing Challenge - A

The letter for taday is A, where I talk about Allium ursinum & Affectionate.

The wild garlic Allium grows under tall trees opposite our little string of cottages on the old Roman road leading from London to St Albans. In springtime, the plants display white frothy flowers. The roots look like spring onions and chefs use the leaves in dishes to infuse a garlic flavor. Fresh leaves can promote digestion and lower blood pressure. Chopped leaves can grace salads and salads or be cooked in soups and stews. 

I must admit to employing the healing herb in the futuristic a series of novels written with my German co-author, Edith Parzefall. Two are already published—see at the side of the page. In the four novels, Cerridwen uses wild garlic to wrap wounds, to heal bruises and to give affectionate care and comfort to the people she tends. No healing works without an expression of deep concern. As an author, I predicted the spread of her healing herb throughout Britland after the apocalypse. The bulbous roots of the allium divide and conquer the surrounding area in a bee-affectionate, frothy-white spring display—rather like a hug that will soon be withdrawn when the flowers die, leaving the pungant leaves.

Proverb: Absence makes the heart grow fonder.