We at the Somerset branch of Dao have been laid low the past few weeks by a series of colds, flu and bugs which have put Ciariad, Namaste, Jamesy and myself on our backs.
However, soon:
Spring is sprung,
The grass is ris',
I wonder where the birdy is.
The bird is on the wing? No,
The wing upon the birdy is!
An old rhyme from my childhood. Can you remember any from your childhood?
How do you feel about the Winter blues? Is Seasonally Affected Disorder (SAD) a genuine complaint? I know it puts a spring in my step to see a blue sky. Let us try and lift depression.
It is odd the things that stick in your mind. There is a moment in the film "Spring, Summer..." where the young monk returns to the floating monastery after many years absence and the old monk is delighted to see him and says 'Tell me your happy stories of your time away'. Now the young monk cannot do this because he has committed a great crime. But I was touched by how the old monk sought to encourage happiness in his companion.
We can try it here. Tell us your happy stories to banish winter blues.
4 comments:
Here is a rhyme which Fleur loves me to sing to her still. She lies on my lap just like a baby and she sits very still and quiet listening to the words.
Rock a bye baby on the treetop
When the wind breaks the cradle will rock
When the bough breaks the cradle will fall and down will come Fleury cradle and all - into my arms - and then she falls into them laughing.
I cannot recall at the moment any happy stories but I would highly recommend the Ricky Gervais podcasts which you can download each week on The Guardian web site. They make me cry with laughter!
So sorry to hear that you have all been laid-low. This is apparently a good remedy for a cold. I found it on an alternative remedy site.
This herbal tea, purpoted to be one of the best cold remedies, helps handle fever and reduce achiness, congestion, and inflammation associated with common cold.
Ingredients
1 part - elder (Sambucus nigra)
1 part - peppermint (Mentha piperita)
1 part - yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
Directions
Combine the ingredients. Steep 1 to 2 tsp of the mixture in 1 cup hot water. Allow it to steep for 10-25 minutes covered. Strain and drink it hot just before going to bed. It may be taken with a pinch of mixed spice and a little honey to soothe a painful throat.
Note: Prepare a fresh cup for each dose. Sip the dosage slowly, never gulp it down. Swish it around the mouth before swallowing. This helps the liquid to mix with the enzymes in the saliva and rapidly assimilates the herbs into the blood stream.
This tea will induce a sweat, and if the cold is caught early enough, may stop it altogether. Even if it is too late for this it will still be very useful. This tea can help the body handle fever and reduce achiness, congestion, and inflammation.
If you have need and the patience to give it a go, let me know if it works!
Swanx
As you will know Swan, I have a similar rhyme which I have sung to Jamesy, Louis and Fleur and which has had them calling for more. Sit them on your lap and sing:
Under the water, under the sea
How many fishes can you see?
(they say a number. Then, holding their arms, you drop them down to the floor for each fishy, counting one fishy, two fishies etc, and let them go, gently, so they fall on the floor for the last one.)
Never fails! I am a wow at kids parties!
Another good games I remember playingwith Jamesy was called 'Get off my land'. I sit on the bed as a grumpy farmer and Jamesy's job was to crawl into the room and try and get on my land, ie climb on the bed. As he entered, I would pretend to be writing my sign saying 'Get off my land'. When I finished I would hold up the imaginary sign saying 'what does this say?'. jamesy would inevitably reply that it said 'Get on my land' and he would jump on the bed and attempt to stay there while I tried to wrestle or tickle him off. Hours of fun!
When I used to take Jamesy swimming we had lots of fun with me pretending to be the shark from Jaws and chasing after him going 'Do-do do-do do-do' louder and louder. He used to look at me as if I was mad, as did everyone else in the pool!
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