After the last chancy occurrence I decided to go to Yatton station for the Torbay express run. Not so many folk there as there normally is. Maybe the novelty is wearing off for those that just look. I recalled to one of the pic takers that when I was on the milk round I got to Kenn Moor gate railway bridge one morning and there was folk looking up the line. I thought “Trouble” Something wrong?” I asked “No” I was told “There is a 125 coming though this morning” People queuing up to watch and take pix of a Diesel Loco. Now it had gone full circle and we wait for half an hour to see a steam train.

The Bristol to Weymouth excursion for this week end was cancelled because of low bookings. I reckon that money is getting tighter, and with school holidays there is more cash needed for little trips rather than a day out.

I got some good shots of Nunney castle in spite of the heat. She was steaming well and the smoke was well visible .

Nunney Castle Runs though Yatton Station with steam blowing well.

What next?

Ribwort AKA Plantain.

Came back from shopping and noticed that the plantain plants had also recovered from the attention of the contractors. Decided it would not be fair to leave them out from the lawn intruder pix.

 Of Plantain Culpeper has much to say :— 

It is true, Misaldus and others, yea, almost all astrology-physicians, hold this to be an herb of Mars, because it cures the diseases of the head and privities, which are under the houses of Mars, Aries, and Scorpio. The truth is, it is under the command of Venus, and cures the head by antipathy to Mars, and the privities by sympathy to Venus; neither is there hardly a martial disease but it cures.The juice of Plantain clarified and drank for divers days together, either of itself, or in other drink, prevails wonderfully against all torments or excoriations in the intestines or bowels, helps the distillations of rheum from the head, and stays all manner of fluxes, even women's courses, when they flow too abundantly. It is good to stay spitting of blood and other bleedings at the mouth, or the making of foul and bloody water, by reason of any ulcers in the reins or bladder, and also stays the too free bleeding of wounds. It is held an especial remedy for those that are troubled with the phthisic, or consumption of the lungs, or ulcers of the lungs, or coughs that come of heat. The decoction or powder of the roots or seeds, is much more binding for all the purposes aforesaid than the leaves. Dioscorides saith, that three roots boiled in wine and taken, helps the tertian agues, and for the quartan agues, (but letting the number pass as fabulous) I conceive the decoction of divers roots may be effectual. The herb (but especially the seed) is held to be profitable against the dropsy, the falling-sickness, the yellow jaundice, and stoppings of the liver and reins. The roots of Plantain, and Pellitory of Spain, beaten into powder, and put into the hollow teeth, takes away the pains of them. The clarified juice, or distilled water, dropped into the eyes, cools the inflammations in them, and takes away the pain and web; and dropped into the ears, eases the pains in them, and heals and removes the heat.

That is only part of his approval. Yes today we laugh at some of their ideas, yet scientists are finding truths in some of their cures. They have started to find ways to extract the vital parts from the dross and try to put the essentials into new drugs.

Came back from getting my pension and paying the rent to see that the Groundsel “clock” had formed. I snipped it off and took it in to the clamp. Set up the macro lens and ring flash and took a series of pix. Found out that the correct name for the clock is Calyx and Pappus. Nice to be correct in terms even if it doesn’t sound or say as easily as clock. The 10 dioptre on the Tamron 90 mm gives 2x life-size, and the ring flash that close allows an exposure at f32 at 50 ISO. I can’t fathom the reasoning that says “Celsius was earlier than Centigrade or Fahrenheit so that must be used” yet cancels ASA for the new styled ISO. Plutocrats are complete idiots in my opinion. In fact I reckon they don't even have the brains to qualify as idiots they are much lower in intelligence.

The 10 dioptre allows a picture almost as intimate as peeping into a shower when a lady is using it.

With the ring flash the lighting although even, still gives a little relief to details such as the ribbing on the seeds and the hairs of the pappus.

We have gone; we have fled
out into the world we go;
we have left our home,
and we will wander
and roam, until we find
a new haven. Then we will
in turn put forth a new generation.
People will curse us
they will say “Damned Weeds”;
but we know we are not damned
for we are the beauty
of nature and we too are
children of the Mother Goddess
as people themselves are.

Fancy that I was moved to poetry about nature for the first time in quite a few years.

 

Greater Burdock, Arctium lappa,

Had an idea this morning as I went out to Mud Lane. When I got to Kenn Moor Gate I went down the track that leads to the Water Gauge fields.  There were several large clumps of Burdock growing there. I had taken the ring-flash so I set up on the back flap of the Smart/Idiot with the clamp on a beer mat of the car roof. 

Culpeper says of Greater Burdock, Arctium lappa, amongst other things :—

The Burdock leaves are cooling, moderately drying, and discussing withal, whereby it is good for old ulcers and sores. A dram of the roots taken with Pine kernels, helps them that spit foul, mattery, and bloody phlegm. The leaves applied to the places troubled with the shrinking of the sinews or arteries, gives much ease. The juice of the leaves, or rather the roots themselves, given to drink with old wine, doth wonderfully help the biting of any serpents. And the root beaten with a little salt, and laid on the place, suddenly eases the pain thereof, and helps those that are bit by a mad dog. The juice of the leaves being drank with honey, provokes urine, and remedies the pain of the bladder. The seed being drank in wine forty days together, doth wonderfully help the sciatica. The leaves bruised with the white of an egg, and applied to any place burnt with fire, takes out the fire, gives sudden ease, and heals it up after­wards. The decoction of them fomented on any fretting sore, or canker, stays the corroding quality, which must be afterwards anointed with an ointment made of the same liquor, hog's-grease, nitre, and vinegar boiled together. The roots may be preserved with sugar, and taken fasting, or at other times, for the same pur­poses, and for consumptions, the stone, and the lask. 

I wonder what the 'lask' might be. I know that the hooks will cling to almost any material and certainly to animals coats. 

 I put a dioptre on the Tamron 90mm and managed a real macro shot of the hooks, they look soft but are as hard as they need to be to hold onto hair, fur, or trouser legs.

When I got to Mud Lane I found Melilotus and got some shots and also what I thought might be a branch of the Forget-me-Not species. Only to discover and old friend Vervain Verbena officionalis.
So I took the opportunity to take a few more pix of it whilst still fresh. I had still left the ring flash rigged on the A77 so no time was taken.
What a lovely little flower it is although only 5 mm in size.  

When I came back from getting the paper I saw that there was one blossom open on the Groundsel Senecio vulgaris, I set up the ring flash and put the 10 dioptre on the Tamron 90mm. Got a set of pix that covers the remainder of photos to complete the set. Like many of the "weeds" there is an atractiveness about the bloom when seen in a large size.
(Click on the picture with the mouse left button to see this happen) It is surprising to see the details that emerge in the sceen filling picture that results.

I also got a shot of the flower from the side  showing the Calyx  and another of the empty wrecks after the Achenes had gone. Now all I need is to capture them full.

Culpeper says of groundsel amongst other things :—

This herb is Venus's mistress-piece, and is as gallant and universal a medicine for all diseases coming of heat, in what part of the body soever they be, as the sun shines upon; it is very safe and friendly to the body of man: yet causes vomiting if the stomach be afflicted; if not, purging: and it doth it with more gentleness than can be expected; it is moist, and something cold withal, thereby causing expulsion, and repressing the heat caused by the motion of the internal parts in purges and vomits. Lay by our learned receipts; take so much Sena, so much Scammony, so much Colocynthis, so much infusion of Crocus Metallorum, &c. this herb alone preserved in a syrup, in a distilled water, or in an ointment, shall do the deed for you in all hot diseases, and, shall do it, i, Safely; 2, Speedily.

The decoction of this herb (saith Dioscorides) made with wine, and drank, helps the pains of the stomach, proceeding of choler, (which it may well do by a vomit) as daily experience shews. The juice thereof taken in drink, or the decoction of it in ale, gently performs the same. It is good against the jaundice and falling sick­ness, being taken in wine; as also against difficulty of making water. It provokes urine, expels gravel in the reins or kidneys; a dram thereof given in oxymel, after some walking or stirring of the body

Bristly Oxtongue Helminthotheca echioides 

Surprising how weeds survive in spite of us. The contractors strimmed the whole plant down, now a fortnight later it has sprung back up from the roots. Even Culpeper could not find a use for this one but the flower and a couple of bristle protected buds are showing that it can survive even the worst that man can do.

What did I find growing in an unplanted pot outside my own door but Groundsel. Unfortunately the flower head had started to close but I got a fair set of pix using the ring flash.

Culpeper says of groundsel amongst other things :—

This herb is Venus's mistress-piece, and is as gallant and universal a medicine for all diseases coming of heat, in what part of the body soever they be, as the sun shines upon; it is very safe and friendly to the body of man: yet causes vomiting if the stomach be afflicted; if not, purging: and it doth it with more gentleness than can be expected; it is moist, and something cold withal, thereby causing expulsion, and repressing the heat caused by the motion of the internal parts in purges and vomits. Lay by our learned receipts; take so much Sena, so much Scammony, so much Colocynthis, so much infusion of Crocus Metallorum, &c. this herb alone preserved in a syrup, in a distilled water, or in an ointment, shall do the deed for you in all hot diseases, and, shall do it, i, Safely; 2, Speedily.

The decoction of this herb (saith Dioscorides) made with wine, and drank, helps the pains of the stomach, proceeding of choler, (which it may well do by a vomit) as daily experience shews. The juice thereof taken in drink, or the decoction of it in ale, gently performs the same. It is good against the jaundice and falling sick­ness, being taken in wine; as also against difficulty of making water. It provokes urine, expels gravel in the reins or kidneys; a dram thereof given in oxymel, after some walking or stirring of the body