Molly and Pim and the Millions of Stars (20 page)

Birds here aren't the sweetest singers. They prefer to screech loudly. It's annoying
sometimes, especially the cockatoos, because they wake you up with their screaming.
It's because they are defending their food from other birds. Many plants are bird-pollinated:
banksias, grevilleas, bottlebrushes, grasstrees, paperbarks, hakeas and hundreds
of eucalypts. Lots of feuds at the flowers means that pollen-dusted birds are forever
coming and going. Magpies are especially aggressive.

CHAMOMILE

The word ‘chamomile' comes from a German word that means ground apple. Chamomile
is supposed to have a magical ability to attract money. Gamblers used to wash their
hands in chamomile tea before they played cards or threw the dice. I think it's probably
more often used to make a tea that has a soothing and calming effect on people who
are too stirred up. Ernest Grimshaw could have done with some. It's best to steep
the chamomile flowers for 10 minutes before drinking.

APPLE TREE

There is a legend of a man in America, Johnny Appleseed, whose dream was to plant
apple trees all over the land so that no one would go hungry. He walked barefoot,
slept outdoors, kept apple seeds in his pocket and wore a tin hat, which he also
cooked in. The Jonathon apple is named after him. Think of him next time you have
one. I do. I try to keep apple seeds in my pocket too. Some say that if you eat them
they will protect you from illness.

WISHING TREE

All over the world there are customs of hanging things (wreaths, ribbons, rags etc.)
on trees as a way of making a connection between people and trees. Every year Mama
and I write a wish and tie it to the mulberry tree. It's our own personal wishing
tree. Pim also has a wishing tree. His is a mountain ash.

YARROW

Now we need to talk about herbs for courage. Yarrow is used for the wounded warrior
and wounded healer as well as people who are struggling with overwhelming problems,
like I was when Mama turned herself into a tree. I like to see myself as a warrior
and a healer all at once. Best to be brave and wise; otherwise, courage can become
just foolish and you just end up being a show-off.

SNAKE

There are no herbal remedies for snakebite, though I have read that the soaked bark
of acacia or blackwood can be used to bathe the wound. Put a firm pressure bandage
over the bite and then lie down and stay still, while someone else calls the ambulance.
But, even better, try not to get bitten in the first place. Sing out loud and stomp
when walking in long grass on sunny days. It's more enjoyable too.

MALLOW

Mallow is an often-overlooked weed. The ancient Romans considered it a delicacy.
The Roman poet Horace wrote, ‘I graze on olives, chicory and simple mallow.' He must
have been hungry if that is all he ate. I hope he got some bread and jam as well.
We eat mallow leaves raw in salad or cook them like spinach in a pie with cheese.
Herbalists use it for sore throats. It's also good for soothing spider bites, bee
stings and burns.

WILD OAT

Like a long grass, wild and heartening, swaying in the wind. Eat your porridge. Oats
are good for you. And good fuel for the day ahead and, most of all, for the adventures
that lie waiting for you…

COMFREY

Comfrey was once also called knit bone, bruise wort and bone set. It was used by
ancient Greek doctors like Herodotus, Dioscorides and Galen because of its ability
to speed the heeling of broken bones. Try placing a comfrey leaf in your suitcase
to make sure it isn't stolen. Or if you are a more practical type, put it in your
compost and it will help break it down.

FAT HEN

You can sneak fat hen into any spinach pie and no one will know the difference. And
it's much more nutritious than spinach and it has been eaten since prehistoric times
(fat hen seeds were found in the stomach of the preserved man found in a Danish peat
bog). Fat hen can grow almost anywhere, even out of cow poo, which is why it has
the nicknames dungweed and muckweed.

POWERFUL OWL

Powerful owls eat ringtail possums and roosting birds and sometimes a passing rabbit.
They catch them with their feet. I would not like to be a small mammal passing beneath
an owl. The thing I like about powerful owls is that they mate for thirty years.
I am not sure if love comes into this pact or not, but it is nice to imagine it does.
It makes up a bit for all the poor possums.