View allAll Photos Tagged gargle."
#AbFav_EARLY_AUTUMN_🍎
I found these on the ground, in the ‘wild’.
Berries are so autumnal, only very few are edible now, except for the birds and other animals.
ROWAN berries, in dutch this is called Lijsterbes and a Lijster is a thrush and I have seen them at work in the Rowan trees, oh my!
A jelly made from them is popular for dressing game.
According to Robert James in 1747, the fruit is excellent for treating the scurvy, and the exudates from the bark is good for the diseases of the spleen.
When dried and powdered the berries have been turned into a type of bread, and in an infusion make an acidulous drink.
A gargle made from the berries is good for a sore throat and inflamed tonsils.
However, it is bitter – very bitter.
Sorbus is a genus of about 100–200 species of trees and shrubs in the rose family Rosaceae. Species of Sorbus are commonly known as white-beam, rowan, service tree and mountain-ash.
This upright, tree is the most compact of the Rowan trees making it ideal for small gardens.
Fluffy, white corymbs of flowers appear in April-May that are popular with bees.
Mid/dark green pinnate foliage turns vibrant shades of orange and red in the autumn which complements the reddish orange berries that hang in heavy clusters and are a treat for the birds.
Popular folklore maintains that a heavy crop of fruit means a hard or difficult winter.
Similarly, in Finland and Sweden, the number of fruit on the trees was used as a predictor of the snow cover during winter.
However, as fruit production for a given summer is related to weather conditions the previous summer, with warm, dry summers increasing the amount of stored sugars available for subsequent flower and fruit production, it has no predictive relationship to the weather of the next winter.
Hawthorn berries and others.
Have a great day and thanks for viewing, M, (*_*)
For more: www.indigo2photography.com
IT IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN (BY LAW!!!) TO USE ANY OF MY image or TEXT on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit permission. © All rights reserved
Berries, red, Rowan, Sorbus, leaves, Hawthorn berries, Autumn, "mountain ash", design, "conceptual art", studio, black-background, square, Magda indigo
I've been sick for 10 miserable days with no end in sight. So here's a cop out picture. I took several good ones yesterday but my rule is it has to be a picture per day taken on that day. So not everyday is gonna be great. Because a lot of days in general aren't that great. Some days you feel like you've gargled battery acid. At least the snow melted.
Highest Explore Position #226 ~ On November 12th 2008.
Update ~ Now #219 ~ On November Thirteenth 2008.
Barbed Wire Fence - Longridge, Scotland - Sunday November 2nd 2008.
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WILFRED OWEN ~ Dulce et Decorum Est ~ Best known poem of the First World War One.
DULCE ET DECORUM EST.....
Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,
Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs
And towards our distant rest began to trudge.
Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots
But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;
Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots
Of tired, outstripped Five-Nines that dropped behind.
Gas! Gas! Quick, boys! – An ecstasy of fumbling,
Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time;
But someone still was yelling out and stumbling,
And flound'ring like a man in fire or lime . . .
Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light,
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.
In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,
He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.
If in some smothering dreams you too could pace
Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin;
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie; Dulce et Decorum est
Pro patria mori.
8 October 1917 - March, 1918
As what was dubbed the "War to End All Wars" is slowly consigned to history, the 90th anniversary of the end of World War I marks what could well be the last major anniversary for the dwindling numbers of veterans.
The World War I armistice was signed on Nov. 11 -- the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, and went down in history as the moment, every year, when the world remembers the dead.
But not many combat veterans will be in attendance at Tuesday's ceremonies. Today, there are few surviving members of the British forces that joined France, Russia and Italy in the battle against Germany and the other Central Powers.
Erich Kastner, the last of the German troops, died on Jan. 1 this year, aged 107. The last French veteran, Italian-born legionnaire Lazare Ponticelli, survived him by only two months, dying on March 12, aged 110.
One of the five remaining British veterans died last week at the age of 108 in Australia, where he moved in 1928, the BBC reported.
Sydney Maurice Lucas, who was born in Leicester, England, on Sept. 21, 1900, regularly led the annual Anzac Day parade in Melbourne, said the report. He was among the last batch of conscripts to be called up in Aug., 1918. In World War II, he volunteered for the Australian army in June 1940 and was posted to a machine-gun unit.
Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Reconciliation: France's Mitterand and Germany's Kohl at Verdun in 1984
Australia is also home to another of the known World War I survivors, 107-year-old Claude Choules.
Meanwhile, three of the veterans still alive in Britain are expected to attend this year's official celebrations.
Henry Allingham, 112, Harry Patch, 110 and Bill Stone, 108, are scheduled to lead a two-minute period of silence at a ceremony in London.
The fight against forgetting ~ But even though few eye witnesses are still alive, "to forget would be the worst thing," as France's Minister for Veterans' Affairs Jean-Marie Bockel said last week.
"Now that the last (French) veteran has gone, 90 years on we once more share a moment of awareness. This war is part of our collective memory, and he who does not know his past has no future," he said, inaugurating a memorial.
France's President Nicolas Sarkozy, Britain's Prince Charles, the speaker of the German parliament Peter Mueller and Australia's Governor General Quentin Bryce will hold a solemn ceremony of remembrance on Tuesday.
They will meet at Fort Douaumont, epicenter of the 1916 Battle of Verdun, for speeches and prayers at the ossuary where the remains lie of 300,000 men cut down by machine-gun and artillery fire in 300 days and nights of hell.
Afterwards, Sarkozy will visit the nearby German cemetery. But in a break with tradition, will not commemorate the event at the tomb of the unknown soldier under the Arc de Triomphe in the heart of Paris.
#AB_FAV_IN_AUTUMN_ 🍄🍁🍂
I found these on the ground, in the ‘wild’.
Berries are so autumnal, only very few are edible now, except for the birds and other animals.
A jelly made from them is popular for dressing game.
According to Robert James in 1747, the fruit is excellent for treating the scurvy, and the exudates from the bark is good for the diseases of the spleen.
When dried and powdered the berries have been turned into a type of bread, and in an infusion make an acidulous drink.
A gargle made from the berries is good for a sore throat and inflamed tonsils.
However, it is bitter – very bitter.
Sorbus is a genus of about 100–200 species of trees and shrubs in the rose family Rosaceae. Species of Sorbus are commonly known as white-beam, rowan, service tree and mountain-ash.
This upright, tree is the most compact of the Rowan trees making it ideal for small gardens.
Fluffy, white corymbs of flowers appear in April-May that are popular with bees.
Mid/dark green pinnate foliage turns vibrant shades of orange and red in the autumn which complements the reddish orange berries that hang in heavy clusters and are a treat for the birds.
Popular folklore maintains that a heavy crop of fruit means a hard or difficult winter.
Similarly, in Finland and Sweden, the number of fruit on the trees was used as a predictor of the snow cover during winter.
However, as fruit production for a given summer is related to weather conditions the previous summer, with warm, dry summers increasing the amount of stored sugars available for subsequent flower and fruit production, it has no predictive relationship to the weather of the next winter.
Have a great day and thanks for viewing, M, (*_*)
for more: www.indigo2photography.com
IT IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN (BY LAW!!!) TO USE ANY OF MY image or TEXT on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit permission. © All rights reserved
Berries, red, Rowan, Sorbus, leaves, Autumn, "mountain ash", design, "conceptual art", outdoors, day, tree, sky, "Magda indigo"
This was a funny behavior to watch. This morning I was in my studio taking photos when I heard this guy talking behind me. We have a large section of glass overlooking the back yard and my studio and valley. This male was talking to his reflection in the window and making a gargling sound while bobbing his head back and forth. I guess he was telling this (other bird) that the territory was taken and he needs to leave. This went on for a good half hour before he left along with the other bird. :-) I hope he doesn't decide to do a flight attack............he may loose.
Mais c'est quoi cette position ?
Elsa est un vrai "cabot". Elle a plein de positions bizarres, utilise toutes sortes de gargarismes (il faudra que je fasse une compilation) et mimiques.
What kind of position is this?
Elsa is a real "show-off". She has lots of odd positions, uses all kinds of gargles (I'll have to make a compilation) and mimicking
Next time you have a sore throat, reach for a lemon! Add the juice of one lemon to an equal amount of hot water for an anti-bacterial gargle.
The health benefits of lime include weight loss, skin care, good digestion, relief from constipation, eye care, and treatment of scurvy, piles, peptic ulcer, respiratory disorders, gout, gums, urinary disorders, etc.
Rabette (Bassist):
Rabette is a devoted animal rights activist, a Virgo, NOT a morning person and can only fall asleep to the soundtrack of 'Too Wong Foo'. Her favorite way to wind down after a show is to devour marshmallow sandwiches while watching reruns of Mork & Mindy. Rabette collects velvet paintings & vintage Macaroni art & the first concert she ever attended was The Sugarcubes in '88. Her heros are Bjork and Betty White.
Baby (Lead Vocalist):
Baby may be small but her voice sure packs a whallop! Before a big show she will gargle a mixture of honey, Paprika and Listerine. When she is not on stage, you can find Baby chilling in the tour bus nerding out playing Sudoku or Tetris. The first band she ever saw live was Weezer. Despite being perfectly geeky & an honorary member of Mensa, Mathew Broderick movies are the only flicks Baby will give the time of day.
Darla (Rhythm Guitar):
Darla is all about groove and feel. She never feels the need to wank out with sweep licks or blistering solos, but instead would rather rip your head off with crushing power chords. During her formative years, Darla followed the on-tour exploits of Pantera & Slayer, honing her own skills with them as their first female roadie. Darla collects Pez dispensers and swears by Probiotic yogurt. She has a little tattoo of William Shatner on her bum.
Percy (Drums):
Percy suffers greatly from Omphalophobia & was recently released into the custody of her band mates following a 90 Day stint in a minimum security prison where she served time for a DUI offence. Percy is 72 days sober and has a new lease on life. Her dream should the band not get signed is to be a pilates instructor in Maui. Percy's first concert was The Fuzzy Pinks back in the late 90's.
Spearmint is high in beneficial antioxidant compounds that help protect against and repair damage caused by free radicals.
Good for Digestive Upsets. Spearmint is commonly used to help relieve symptoms of indigestion, nausea, vomiting and gas. ...
High in Antioxidants. ...
May Aid Women With Hormone Imbalances. ...
May Reduce Facial Hair in Women. ...
May Improve Memory. ...
Fights Bacterial Infections. ...
May Lower Blood Sugar. ...
May Help Reduce Stress.
_______________________________________________
Synonyms---Garden Mint. Mentha Spicata. Mackerel Mint. Our Lady's Mint. Green Mint. Spire Mint. Sage of Bethlehem. Fish Mint. Menthe de Notre Dame. Erba Santa Maria. Frauen Munze. Lamb Mint.
Herb.
This common garden mint is not a native of these islands, though growing freely in every garden, but is originally a native of the Mediterranean region, and was introduced into Britain by the Romans, being largely cultivated not only by them, but also by the other Mediterranean nations. It was in great request by the Romans, and Pliny according to Gerard says of it: 'The smell of Mint does stir up the mind and the taste to a greedy desire of meate.' Ovid represents the hospitable Baucis and Philemon scouring their board with green mint before laying upon it the food intended for their divine guests. The Ancients believed that mint would prevent the coagulation of milk and its acid fermentation. Gerard, again quoting Pliny, says:
'It will not suffer milk to cruddle in the stomach, and therefore it is put in milk that is drunk, lest those that drink thereof should be strangled.'
Many other references to it in old writings - among them, that of the payment by the Pharisees of tithes of Mint, Anise and Cumin - prove that the herb has been highly esteemed for many centuries. Mint is mentioned in all early mediaeval lists of plants; it was very early grown in English gardens, and was certainly cultivated in the Convent gardens of the ninth century. Chaucer refers to 'a little path of mint's full and fennell greene. '
Turner states in his Herball (1568) that the garden mint of his time was also called 'Spere Mynte.' Gerard, in further praise of the herb, tells us that: 'the smell rejoiceth the heart of man, for which cause they used to strew it in chambers and places of recreation, pleasure and repose, where feasts and banquets are made.'
It has, in fact, been so universally esteemed, that it is to be found wild in nearly all the countries to which civilization has extended, and in America for 200 years it has been known as an escape from gardens, growing in moist soils and proving sometimes troublesome as a weed.
Parkinson, in his Garden of Pleasure, mentions 'divers sorts of mint's both of the garden and wilde, of the woods, mountain and standing pools or waters' and says:
'Mint's are sometimes used in Baths with Balm and other herbs as a help to comfort and strengthen the nerves and sinews. It is much used either outwardly applied or inwardly drunk to strengthen and comfort weak stomachs.'
The Ancients used mint to scent their bath water and as a restorative, as we use smelling salts to-day. In Athens where every part of the body was perfumed with a different scent mint was specially designated to the arms.
Gerard says of its medicinal properties:
'It is good against watering eyes and all manner of breakings out on the head and sores. It is applied with salt to the bitings of mad dogs.... They lay it on the stinging of wasps and bees with good success.'
Culpepper gives nearly forty distinct maladies for which mint is 'singularly good.'
'Being smelled into,' he says, 'it is comfortable for the head and memory, and a decoction when used as a gargle, cures the mouth and gums, when sore.' Again, 'Garden Mint is most useful to wash children's heads when the latter are inclined to sores, and Wild Mint, mixed with vinegar is an excellent wash to get rid of scurf. Rose leaves and mint, heated and applied outwardly cause rest and sleep.'
In the fourteenth century, mint was used for whitening the teeth, and its distilled oil is still used to flavour tooth-pastes, etc., and in America, especially, to flavour confectionery, chewing gums, and also to perfume soap.
Mint otto's have more power than any other aromatic to overcome the smell of tobacco.
The application of a strong decoction of Spearmint is said to cure chapped hands.
Mice are so averse to the smell of mint, either fresh or dried, that they will leave untouched any food where it is scattered. As mice love Henbane and often prove very destructive to a crop, it has been suggested that their depredations might be checked if some mint were planted between the rows of Henbane.
It is probable that Spearmint was introduced by the Pilgrim Fathers when they landed in America, as it is mentioned among many other plants brought out from England, in a list given by John Josselyn. When in this country apparently found growing wild, it occurs in watery places, but is rather rare.
Professor Henslow (Origin and History of our Garden Vegetables) does not consider it truly native to any country. He says:
'The Garden Mint (Mentha viridis, Linn.) is a cultivated form of M. sylvestris (Linn.), the Horse Mint, which is recorded as cultivated at Aleppo. Either M. sylvestris, or some form approaching M. viridis, which is not known as a truly wild plant, was probably the mint of Scripture.'
Bentham also considers it not improbably a variety of M. sylvestris, perpetuated through its ready propagation by suckers, and though these two plants are sufficiently distinct as found in England, yet continental forms occur which bridge over their differences.
Its generic name, Mentha, is derived from the mythological origin ascribed to it, and was originally applied to the mint by Theophrastus. Menthe was a nymph, who because of the love Pluto bore her, was metamorphosed by Proserpine, from motives of jealousy, into the plant we now call mint
Description---From creeping root-stocks, erect, square stems rise to a height of about 2 feet, bearing very short-stalked, acute-pointed, lance-shaped, wrinkled, bright green leaves, with finely toothed edges and smooth surfaces, the ribs very prominent beneath. The small flowers are densely arranged in whorls or rings in the axils of the upper leaves, forming cylindrical, slender, tapering spikes, pinkish or lilac in colour. The little labiate flowers are followed by very few, roundish, minute brown seeds. The taste and odour of the plant are very characteristic.
There are several forms of Garden Mint, the true variety being of bold, upright growth, with fairly large and broad leaves, pointed and sharply serrated (or toothed) at the edges and of a rich, bright, green colour. Another variety, sometimes sold as Spearmint (M. cardiaca), is much smaller and less erect in growth, with darker leaves, the whorls of flowers distant and leafy, but possessing the same odour and flavour, and another has comparatively large, broad or rounded leaves. Yet another has soft hairs, but this, though distinct from what is known as Horse Mint, is inferior to the true Spearmint.
Cultivation---A moist situation is preferable, but mint will succeed in almost any soil when once started into growth, though in dry, sandy soils it is sometimes difficult to grow, and should be planted in the coolest and dampest situations. Leaf mould, road scrapings, burnt ash and similar materials should, on the other hand, be used freely for lightening heavy, tenacious soils. It does best in a partially shaded position: if in a sheltered spot, it will start earlier in the spring than if exposed. Where a long or regular supply is required, it is a good plan to have at least one bed in a sunny and sheltered, and another in a shady position, where gatherings may be made both early and late.
As the plant is a perennial, spreading by means of its underground, creeping stems propagation may be easily effected by lifting the roots in February or March, dividing them - every piece showing a joint will grow - and planting again in shallow trenches, covering with 2 inches of soil. Six inches apart in the rows and 8 inches between the rows are the right distances to allow. Cuttings in summer or offsets in spring may also be utilized for increasing a stock. Cuttings may be taken at almost any time during the summer, always choosing the young shoots, these being struck on a shady border of light soil and kept moist, or a better plan, if possible, is to insert them in a frame, keeping them close and moist till rooted. Cuttings or young shoots will also strike freely in good-sized boxes in a heated greenhouse, in the early spring, and after the tops have been taken off two or three times for use, the plants may be hardened off and planted outside.
The beds are much benefited by an annual top-dressing of rich soil, applied towards the close of autumn, when all remaining stalks should be cut down to the ground. A liberal top-dressing of short, decayed manure, such as that from an old hot-bed or mushroom bed, annually, either in the spring, when it commences to grow, or better still, perhaps, after the first or second cutting, will ensure luxuriant growth. Frequent cuttings of shoots constitute a great drain on the plants, and if not properly nourished they will fail, more or less. To have really good mint, the plantation should be re-made about every three years, or failing that, it is essential that a good top-dressing of rich soil be added.
A good stock should be kept up, so that plenty may be available for forcing. Cultivators having a greenhouse can easily force mint into an earlier development of new growth than would be in the open garden. Forcing is very easy, the only preparation being the insertion of a quantity of good roots in a box of light soil, which should be placed in a temperature of about 60 degrees and watered freely as soon as growth starts. Cuttings may be made in two or three weeks. Forcing will generally be necessary from November to May - a succession being kept up by the introduction, at intervals of about three weeks, of an additional supply of roots, as forced roots soon decay. Often mint is so grown both upon and under the benches in greenhouses, and the demand for the young, tender stems and leaves during the winter is sufficient to make the plants pay well.
Mint Disease---Unfortunately, mint is susceptible to a disease which in some gardens has completely destroyed it. This disease, which from its characteristic symptoms is known as Rust, is incurable. The fungus (Puccinia Mentha) which causes it develops inside the plant, and therefore cannot be reached by any purgicide, and as it is perennial, it cannot be got rid of by cutting off the latter. All that can be done is to prevent the spread of the disease by digging up all plants that show any sign of rust. The same ground should not be used again for mint for several years. Healthy stock should be obtained and planted in uninfected soil, some distance away. On account of this liability of mint to rust, it is advisable not to have it all in one bed, but to have several beds of it, placed at some distance from each other
Harvesting---When the plants are breaking into bloom, the stalks should be cut a few inches above the root, on a dry day, after the dew has disappeared, and before the hot sun has taken any oil from the leaves, and dried for culinary use for the winter. All discoloured and insect-eaten leaves should be removed and the stems tied loosely into bunches and hung to dry on strings in the usual manner directed for 'bunched' herbs. The bunches should be nearly equal in length and uniform in size to facilitate packing, if intended for sale, and placed when dry in airtight boxes to prevent re-absorption of moisture.
The leaves may also be stripped from the stems as soon as thoroughly dry and rubbed through a fine sieve, so as to be freed from stalks as much as possible, or pounded in a mortar and thus powdered, stored in stoppered bottles or tins rendered airtight. If preparing for market and not for home use, the rubbed herbs will, of course, command a higher price than the bunched herbs, and should be put up in tins or bottles containing a quantity of uniform weight.
When mint is grown commercially on a large scale, it has been estimated to yield from 4 to 5 tons per acre, from which 15 to 20 cwt. of dry should be obtained. Average yields per acre are, however, taken when crops are at maturity, and an estimate of the first cutting crop is hard to form, and is likely to be less profitable than succeeding years, on account of initial expenses.
If Spearmint is being grown as a medicinal herb, for the sake of the volatile oil to be extracted from it, the shoots should be gathered in August, when just coming into flower, and taken to the distillery as soon as possible after picking, the British Pharmacopoeia directing that oil of Spearmint be distilled from the fresh, flowering plant. It is estimated that 350 lb. of Spearmint yield 1 lb. of oil. If the distillery is not on the ground or only a short distance away, and the crop has to be dispatched by train, the cutting should take place late in the afternoon on a fine day, before the dew falls, so as to be sent off by a night train to arrive at their destination next morning, having travelled in the cool, otherwise the leaves are apt to heat and ferment, losing colour.
The chief constituent of Spearmint oil is Carvone. There are also present Phellandrene, Limonene and dihydrocarveol acetate. Esters of acetic, butyric and caproic or caprylic acids are also present. (An Ester is a combination of an alcohol with an acid, the combination being associated with the elimination of water. The esters are highly important and in many cases dominant constituents of numerous essential oils, which owe their perfume largely, or in some cases entirely, to the esters contained. Many of the esters are used as flavouring or perfumery agents, and many are among the most important constituents of volatile salts.)
There are several different essential oils known under the name of Spearmint oil, the botanical origin of the plant used for distillation differing with the country in which the plant is grown. In the United States and in this country several varieties of M. viridis are distilled. In Russia the plant distilled is M. verticellata, and in Germany either M. longifolia, or more generally M. aquatica var. crispa - a plant cultivated in Northern Germany, the oil (called there Krausemünzöl) being imported into this country as German Spearmint oil. It appears to be identical with that from M. viridis. Oil of Spearmint is little distilled in England, either German oil or American oil distilled from M. viridis being imported.
Medicinal Action and Uses---Spearmint is chiefly used for culinary purposes. The properties of Spearmint oil resemble those of Peppermint, being stimulant, carminative and antispasmodic, but its effects are less powerful, and it is less used than Peppermint, though it is better adapted for children's maladies. From 2 to 5 drops may be given on sugar, or from 1/2 to 1 teaspoonful of spirit of Spearmint, with 2 tablespoonful of water. Spearmint oil is added to many compounds on account of its carminative properties, and because its taste is pleasanter and less strong than Peppermint. A distilled water of Spearmint will relieve hiccough and flatulence as well as the giddiness of indigestion. For infantile trouble generally, the sweetened infusion is an excellent remedy, and is also a pleasant beverage in fevers, inflammatory diseases, etc. Make the infusion by pouring a pint of boiling water on an ounce of the dried herb; the strained-off liquid is taken in doses of a wine glass full or less. It is considered a specific in allaying nausea and vomiting and will relieve the pain of colic. A homoeopathic tincture prepared from the fresh plant in flower has been found serviceable in strangury, gravel, and as a local application in painful haemorrhoids. Its principal employment is for its febrifuge and diuretic virtues.
Preparations and Dosages---Fluid extract, 1/4 to 1 drachm. Water, B.P. and U.S.P., 4 drachms. Spirit, U.S.P., 30 drops.
When eaten with lamb, very finely chopped in sweetened vinegar, in the form of mint sauce, mint greatly aids the digestion, as it makes the crude, albuminous fibres of the immature meat more digestible. The volatile oil stimulates the digestive system and prevents septic changes within the intestines.
The fresh sprigs of mint are used to flavour green peas and also new potatoes, being boiled with them, and the powdered, dried leaves are used with pea soup and also in seasonings. On the Continent, especially in Germany, the powdered, dried mint is often used at table for dusting upon pea and bean purées, as well as on gravies.
A grating of mint is introduced sometimes into a potato salad, or into a fowl stuffing, and in Wales it is not unusual to boil mint with cabbage.
Mint Jelly can be used instead of mint sauce, in the same manner as red currant jelly. It may be made by steeping mint leaves in apple jelly, or in one of the various kinds of commercial gelatine. The jelly should be a delicate shade of green. A handful of leaves should colour and flavour about half a pint of jelly. Strain the liquid through a jelly bag to remove all particles of mint before allowing to set.
Mint Vinegar is made as follows: Fill a jar or bottle with young mint leaves picked from the stalks. Cover with cold vinegar and cork or cover the bottle. Infuse for 14 days, then strain off the vinegar.
This vinegar is sometimes employed in making Mint Jelly, as follows:
Take 1 pint of water, 1 1/4 OZ. gelatine, the white and shell of an egg, 1/2 gill of Mint Vinegar, 1 dessertspoonful of Tarragon Vinegar, a bunch of herbs, 1 onion, 1 carrot, a stick of celery, 10 peppercorns, salt, 1 lemon. Peel the lemon very thinly, slightly whip the white of egg, wash and crush the shell. Put all the ingredients into a pan, strain in the juice of the lemon and whisk over the fire until just on boiling point. Boil up, then draw the pan to the side of the fire and simmer very gently for 20 minutes. Strain through a jelly bag until clear. Put into a mould to set. If liked, finely chopped mint may be added to the jelly after straining it, or more mint can be used and no Tarragon Vinegar.
To make Mint Punch: Pick a quart of fresh mint leaves, then wash and dry them by shaking them in a clean kitchen towel. Put them into a large jug and mash them with a wooden spoon till soft, when cover with freshly boiled water and infuse for ten minutes. Strain, cool, then set on ice till required. Add two cups of chilled grape juice and strained lemon juice to taste. Sweeten with castor sugar, stir till sugar is dissolved and then add a quart of ginger ale. Fill each tumbler to one-third with cracked ice and fill up with the punch.
The Garden Mint is also the basis of Mint Julep and Mint-water, the cordial distilled from the plant.
Wetenschappelijk: Gallinula chloropus
Scientific name: Gallinula chloropus
The moorhen is a distinctive species, with dark plumage apart from the white undertail, yellow legs and a red frontal shield. The young are browner and lack the red shield. The frontal shield of the adult has a rounded top and fairly parallel sides; the tailward margin of the red unfeathered area is a smooth waving line. In the related common gallinule of the Americas, the frontal shield has a fairly straight top and is less wide towards the bill, giving a marked indentation to the back margin of the red area.
The common moorhen gives a wide range of gargling calls and will emit loud hisses when threatened. A midsized to large rail, it can range from 30 to 38 cm (12 to 15 in) in length and span 50 to 62 cm (20 to 24 in) across the wings. The body mass of this species can range from 192 to 500 g (6.8 to 17.6 oz).
This is a common breeding bird in marsh environments and well-vegetated lakes. Populations in areas where the waters freeze, such as eastern Europe, will migrate to more temperate climes. This species will consume a wide variety of vegetable material and small aquatic creatures. They forage beside or in the water, sometimes walking on lilypads or upending in the water to feed. They are often secretive, but can become tame in some areas. Despite loss of habitat in parts of its range, the common moorhen remains plentiful and widespread.
The birds are territorial during breeding season. The nest is a basket built on the ground in dense vegetation. Laying starts in spring, between mid-March and mid-May in Northern hemisphere temperate regions. About 8 eggs are usually laid per female early in the season; a brood later in the year usually has only 5–8 or fewer eggs. Nests may be re-used by different females. Incubation lasts about three weeks. Both parents incubate and feed the young. These fledge after 40–50 days, become independent usually a few weeks thereafter, and may raise their first brood the next spring. When threatened, the young may cling to the parents' body, after which the adult birds fly away to safety, carrying their offspring with them.
On a global scale – all subspecies taken together – the common moorhen is as abundant as its vernacular name implies. It is therefore considered a species of Least Concern by the IUCN. However, small populations may be prone to extinction. The population of Palau, belonging to the widespread subspecies G. c. orientalis and locally known as debar (a generic term also used for ducks and meaning roughly "waterfowl"), is very rare, and apparently the birds are hunted by locals. Most of the population on the archipelago occurs on Angaur and Peleliu, while the species is probably already gone from Koror. In the Lake Ngardok wetlands of Babeldaob, a few dozen still occur, but the total number of common moorhens on Palau is about in the same region as the Guam population: fewer than 100 adult birds (usually fewer than 50) have been encountered in any survey.
The common moorhen is one of the birds (the other is the Eurasian coot, Fulica atra) from which the cyclocoelid flatworm parasite Cyclocoelum mutabile was first described.
[group] Herons and egrets | [order] CICONIIFORMES | [family] Ardeidae | [latin] Egretta garzetta | [UK] Little Egret | [FR] Aigrette garzette | [DE] Seidenreiher | [ES] Garceta Comun | [NL] Kleine Zilverreiger | [IRL] Éigrit bheag
Status: Resident along coasts and rivers throughout Ireland, but still scarce in the Midlands and north-west of the country. Little Egret was considered rare in Ireland until it first started breeding here in 1997. It has since expanded and now occurs in almost every coastal county, as well as at a number of inland sites.
Conservation Concern: Green-listed in Ireland. The European population is considered to be Secure.
Identification: Medium-sized white heron, with long black legs, yellow feet, black bill and blue-grey lores, and two elongated nape-feathers in breeding plumage.
Similar Species: Unmistakable in Ireland. Great White Egret is a rare visitor from Continental Europe, but is twice the size.
Call: Rook-like hoarse 'aaah' on alighting from the ground. At colonies, hoarse hard gargling 'gulla-gulla-gulla…' often heard.
Diet: Takes a wide variety of animals including small fish, frogs, snails and insects and forages across a range of wetland habitats from lakes to flooded grassland. Often forages alone; but maybe encountered in small groups.
Breeding: Clutch: 4-5 eggs (1 brood) Incubation: 21-22 days.Fledging: 40-45 days (Altrical). Age of first breeding: not known. Breeds in lakes, marshes, flooded fields & estuaries.
Wintering: Little Egrets use a variety of wetland habitats, including shallow lakes, riverbanks, lagoons, coastal estuaries and rocky shoreline.
[group] Herons and egrets | [order] CICONIIFORMES | [family] Ardeidae | [latin] Egretta garzetta | [UK] Little Egret | [FR] Aigrette garzette | [DE] Seidenreiher | [ES] Garceta Comun | [NL] Kleine Zilverreiger | [IRL] Éigrit bheag
Status: Resident along coasts and rivers throughout Ireland, but still scarce in the Midlands and north-west of the country. Little Egret was considered rare in Ireland until it first started breeding here in 1997. It has since expanded and now occurs in almost every coastal county, as well as at a number of inland sites.
Conservation Concern: Green-listed in Ireland. The European population is considered to be Secure.
Identification: Medium-sized white heron, with long black legs, yellow feet, black bill and blue-grey lores, and two elongated nape-feathers in breeding plumage.
Similar Species: Unmistakable in Ireland. Great White Egret is a rare visitor from Continental Europe, but is twice the size.
Call: Rook-like hoarse 'aaah' on alighting from the ground. At colonies, hoarse hard gargling 'gulla-gulla-gulla…' often heard.
Diet: Takes a wide variety of animals including small fish, frogs, snails and insects and forages across a range of wetland habitats from lakes to flooded grassland. Often forages alone; but maybe encountered in small groups.
Breeding: Clutch: 4-5 eggs (1 brood) Incubation: 21-22 days.Fledging: 40-45 days (Altrical). Age of first breeding: not known. Breeds in lakes, marshes, flooded fields & estuaries.
Wintering: Little Egrets use a variety of wetland habitats, including shallow lakes, riverbanks, lagoons, coastal estuaries and rocky shoreline.
Trail from Plachek (2,700 mts) to the base of Thamsar pass (~4,000 mts), Bada Bhangal trek, Himachal Pradesh, India
Algarve Portugal 25-04-2022
[group] Herons and egrets | [order] CICONIIFORMES | [family] Ardeidae | [latin] Egretta garzetta | [UK] Little Egret | [FR] Aigrette garzette | [DE] Seidenreiher | [ES] Garceta Comun | [NL] Kleine Zilverreiger | [IRL] Éigrit bheag
Measurements
spanwidth min.: 88 cm
spanwidth max.: 106 cm
size min.: 55 cm
size max.: 65 cm
Breeding
incubation min.: 21 days
incubation max.: 22 days
fledging min.: 40 days
fledging max.: 45 days
broods 1
eggs min.: 3
eggs max.: 5
Status: Resident along coasts and rivers throughout Ireland, but still scarce in the Midlands and north-west of the country. Little Egret was considered rare in Ireland until it first started breeding here in 1997. It has since expanded and now occurs in almost every coastal county, as well as at a number of inland sites.
Conservation Concern: Green-listed in Ireland. The European population is considered to be Secure.
Identification: Medium-sized white heron, with long black legs, yellow feet, black bill and blue-grey lores, and two elongated nape-feathers in breeding plumage.
Similar Species: Unmistakable in Ireland. Great White Egret is a rare visitor from Continental Europe, but is twice the size.
Call: Rook-like hoarse 'aaah' on alighting from the ground. At colonies, hoarse hard gargling 'gulla-gulla-gulla…' often heard.
Diet: Takes a wide variety of animals including small fish, frogs, snails and insects and forages across a range of wetland habitats from lakes to flooded grassland. Often forages alone; but maybe encountered in small groups.
Breeding: Clutch: 4-5 eggs (1 brood) Incubation: 21-22 days.Fledging: 40-45 days (Altrical). Age of first breeding: not known. Breeds in lakes, marshes, flooded fields & estuaries.
Wintering: Little Egrets use a variety of wetland habitats, including shallow lakes, riverbanks, lagoons, coastal estuaries and rocky shoreline.
Culpeper`s Color Herbal says: The berries cool the liver, blood, and spleen. They refresh and comfort fainting spirits and quench the thirst. The leaves may be boiled in water to make a useful gargle for a sore throat. The fruit is rich in vitamin C and iron and make a pleasant supplement for the anemic. The water of the berries, distilled, is a remedy and cordial in the panting and beating of the heart, and good for jaundice
Through visiting my dad today, we went to see this astonishing, hand-made banner draped on Saint Mary's church for the Remembrance Weekend. I can't imagine how much work and how many hours went into making this.
"Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,
Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs
And towards our distant rest began to trudge.
Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots
But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;
Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots
Of tired, outstripped Five-Nines that dropped behind.
Gas! GAS! Quick, boys! - An ecstasy of fumbling,
Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time;
But someone still was yelling out and stumbling
And flound'ring like a man in fire or lime ...
Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light,
As under I green sea, I saw him drowning.
In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,
He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.
If in some smothering dreams you too could pace
Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin;
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues, --
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old lie: Dulce et decorum est
Pro patria mori." Wilfred Owen, who spent time recovering from his experiences in the trenches in a convalescent home not far from where I live.
Note on reverse generously translated by Immanuel.
"Dropping a Russian horse by parachute by Balloon Detachment 43".
The erudite Xiphophilos unearthed the meaning of "Panje-" for us some time ago.
"Panje-" is a German pseudo-Russicism, invented during World War I to denote Russian carriages drawn by "Panje horses", that is, undemanding and strong animals. Their breed characteristics were a little unclear, and soon they were almost completely replaced by the related Konik polski (Polish pony). Other terms similarly got lost: "Panje Russki" (Russian), "Edel Panje" (Russian nobleman), "Panje-Frau" (Russian woman), "Panje-Kinder" (Russian children), "Panje-Haus" (Russian house), "Panje-Brot" (Russian bread), and the "Gurgel-Panje" (gargling Russian), the term for Russian mortar projectiles.
The common gallinule (Gallinula galeata) is a bird in the family Rallidae. It lives around well-vegetated marshes, ponds, canals, and other wetlands in the Americas. The species is not found in the polar regions or many tropical rainforests. Elsewhere, the common gallinule is likely the most commonly seen rail species in much of North America, excepting the American coot in some regions.
The gallinule has dark plumage apart from the white undertail, yellow legs and a red frontal shield. The young are browner and lack the red shield. It has a wide range of gargling calls and will emit loud hisses when threatened.
This is a common breeding bird in marsh environments and well-vegetated lakes. Populations in areas where the waters freeze, such as southern Canada and the northern USA, will migrate to more temperate climes. This species will consume a wide variety of vegetable material and small aquatic creatures. It forages beside or in the water, sometimes upending in the water to feed. Its wide feet allow it to hop about on lily pads. It is often secretive, but can become tame in some areas. Despite loss of habitat in parts of its range, the common gallinule remains plentiful and widespread.
The common gallinule will fight to defend its territory. The nest is a basket built on the ground in dense vegetation. Laying starts in spring, between mid-March and mid-May in northern hemisphere temperate regions. About 8 eggs are usually laid per female early in the season; a brood later in the year usually has only 5–8 or even fewer eggs. Nests may be re-used by different females. Incubation lasts about three weeks. Both parents incubate and feed the young. These fledge after 40–50 days, become independent usually a few weeks thereafter, and may raise their first brood the next spring. When threatened, the young may cling to a parent's body, after which the adult birds fly away to safety, carrying their offspring with them.
This image was taken in the Panama Canal.
The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide with Jim Wilson
Shorebirds of Ireland with Jim Wilson.
Freshwater Birds of Ireland with Jim Wilson
www.markcarmodyphotography.com
The Common Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) is a bird in the rail family with an almost worldwide distribution outside Australasia as well as deserts, many tropical rainforests, and the polar regions. It is often simply called "moorhen", or "waterhen" as the bird actually prefers wetlands to moorland; either term can refer to a number of related species however. Another ambiguous vernacular name, popular in the USA, is Common Gallinule.
It is a distinctive species, with dark plumage apart from the white undertail, yellow legs and a red facial shield. The young are browner and lack the red shield. It has a wide range of gargling calls and will emit loud hisses when threatened.(wikipedia)
This is a Moorhen climbing up branches to roost in a tree at dusk along the Grand Canal, in Dublin
[order] Ciconiiformes | [family] Ardeidae | [latin] Egretta garzetta | [UK] Little Egret | [FR] Aigrette garzette | [DE] Seidenreiher | [ES] Garceta Común | [IT] Garzetta comune | [NL] Kleine Zilverreiger | [IRL] Éigrit bheag
spanwidth min.: 88 cm
spanwidth max.: 106 cm
size min.: 55 cm
size max.: 65 cm
Breeding
incubation min.: 21 days
incubation max.: 22 days
fledging min.: 40 days
fledging max.: 45 days
broods 1
eggs min.: 3
eggs max.: 5
Status: Resident along coasts and rivers throughout Ireland, but still scarce in the Midlands and north-west of the country. Little Egret was considered rare in Ireland until it first started breeding here in 1997. It has since expanded and now occurs in almost every coastal county, as well as at a number of inland sites.
Conservation Concern: Green-listed in Ireland. The European population is considered to be Secure.
Identification: Medium-sized white heron, with long black legs, yellow feet, black bill and blue-grey lores, and two elongated nape-feathers in breeding plumage.
Similar Species: Unmistakable in Ireland. Great White Egret is a rare visitor from Continental Europe, but is twice the size.
Call: Rook-like hoarse 'aaah' on alighting from the ground. At colonies, hoarse hard gargling 'gulla-gulla-gulla…' often heard.
Diet: Takes a wide variety of animals including small fish, frogs, snails and insects and forages across a range of wetland habitats from lakes to flooded grassland. Often forages alone; but maybe encountered in small groups.
Breeding: Clutch: 4-5 eggs (1 brood) Incubation: 21-22 days.Fledging: 40-45 days (Altrical). Age of first breeding: not known. Breeds in lakes, marshes, flooded fields & estuaries.
Wintering: Little Egrets use a variety of wetland habitats, including shallow lakes, riverbanks, lagoons, coastal estuaries and rocky shoreline.
Physical characteristics
Little Egret is a small and elegant white egret, showing slender neck, fine pointed black bill and black legs with yellow feet. Adult in breeding plumage has bluish face and reddish lores. We can see two long fine white hindcrown feathers, extending from the nape to the mid-neck. It also has "aigrettes", long feathers of upper breast and recurved scapular feathers. At this time, Little Egret has greyish base of lower mandible. Feet turn bright yellow-orange, even pinkish for short time. In winter plumage, bill is black, lores are greyish, and feet are pale yellow or greenish-yellow. And it lacks long feathers on nape, and "aigrettes" in scapulars and breast. Eyes are pale yellow. Both sexes are similar. Juvenile resembles adult in winter plumage, with duller or greenish bill and legs, and grey-green feet, less contrasting.
Habitat
Little Egret is found in a wide variety of open inland and coastal wetlands, shallow water around lakes, rivers, streams and estuaries. Little Egret breeds in warm temperate parts of Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. Most birds are residents. But northern populations migrate to Africa and Southern Asia. Little Egret starts to colonise the New World, breeding in Bahamas, and seen in Caribbean and Surinam.
Other details
Egretta garzetta is a widespread but patchily distributed breeder in southern Europe, which accounts for less than a quarter of its global breeding range. Its European breeding population is relatively small (<94,000 pairs), but increased between 1970- 1990. Although there were declines in a few countries during 1990-2000, populations across most of its European range-including sizeable ones in Spain, France, Italy and Azerbaijan-increased or were stable.
This bird has a wide distribution in the southern parts of Europe and Asia, in northern, eastern and southern Africa, on the Cape Verde Islands, in Indonesia and Australia. European populations winter mainly in northern Africa, but since 1950 an increasing number of individuals remain during the winter along the European coasts of the Mediterranean. The population of the European Union amounts to about 22700 breeding pairs. It is increasing in Spain, France and Italy, decreasing in Greece
Feeding
Little Egret feeds on small fishes, frogs, lizards, worms, crustaceans, molluscs and a wide part of insects.
Conservation
This species has a large range, with an estimated global Extent of Occurrence of 1,000,000-10,000,000 km². It has a large global population estimated to be 640,000-3,100,000 individuals (Wetlands International 2002). Global population trends have not been quantified, but the species is not believed to approach the thresholds for the population decline criterion of the IUCN Red List (i.e. declining more than 30% in ten years or three generations). For these reasons, the species is evaluated as Least Concern. [conservation status from birdlife.org]
Breeding
Little Egret nests in colonies, with other heron and wetland species. They nest in reedbeds, wetland scrubs or trees near water, up to 20 metres above the ground. Nest is a platform made with twigs or reeds. Male brings material to female which builds the nest. Female lays 3 to 5 pale greenish blue eggs, at intervals of one or two days. Incubation starts with the first egg laid, and lasts about 21 to 25 days, shared by both parents. Each adult sits 3 to 4 hours on the nest, and when it is time to change, both adults fluff their feathers and bow in front of each other, while they utter their grating elongated sound. Chicks hatch covered with white down, with pink bill and legs, turning quickly to bluish-grey. They are fed by both adults, with regurgitated food into their bills. At about three weeks, young leave the nest to move into nearly branches. They are not able to fly, but they are very agile to walk on branches. They perform their first flight with parents at about 5 weeks of age, learning to fly and to hunt in shallow water. They roost with the colony every night until they are independent.
Migration
Extensive post-breeding dispersal. Palearctic breeders partially migratory: West populations winter around Mediterranean, Middle East and particularly tropical Africa. East populations migrate to South of China, South East Asia and Philippines, although large numbers remain in Japan. Populations of Africa, India and Australia sedentary, with some dispersal or nomadism. Birds ringed in East Australia recovered in New Zealand and New Guinea. Races gularis/schistacea apparently resident and dispersive; accidental to Europe and USA. Race dimorpha strictly sedentary. Migratory populations prone to overshooting in spring.
"Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,
Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs,
And towards our distant rest began to trudge.
Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots,
But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;
Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots
Of gas-shells dropping softly behind.
Gas! GAS! Quick, boys!—An ecstasy of fumbling
Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time,
But someone still was yelling out and stumbling
And flound’ring like a man in fire or lime.—
Dim through the misty panes and thick green light,
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.
In all my dreams before my helpless sight,
He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.
If in some smothering dreams, you too could pace
Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
His hanging face, like a devil’s sick of sin;
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,—
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est
Pro patria mori.,"
Wilfred Owen, published posthumously
The Garden of Remembrance at night, in Princes Street Gardens, right by the Scott Monument. In the background, on the Old Town skyline, you can see the large Bank of Scotland building, which is lit poppy-red for Armistice Day as a sign of respect and remembrance
This is my first post from my Canon EOS 6D. It's really a joy to be able to work in high iso without the fear of noice. Extraordinary shape of a spicy pepper shot in black background. No paint or artificial color, this is the real stuff! Natural light on the right bounce on a reflector on the left. Dedicated to the spicy food lovers! From www.diethealthclub.com/health-food/health-benefits-of-cap...: Benefits of capsicum
The health benefits of capsicum are much more than other vegetables. This is due to the anti oxidants it derives from its rich colors. The stronger the color of the peppers, the higher the concentration level of the anti oxidants. Capsicum also contains anti septic properties. Gargle with some capsicum juice if you have a sore throat. These colorful juices are also good in reducing cholesterol levels. The benefits of capsicum frutescens include reducing the inflammatory conditions of the blood vessels and also purifying the body by its cleansing and purging effect. This vegetable also enhances the body’s metabolism. Eating this vegetable will also prevent blood clots.
But wait there's more of Hong Kong - from my 2008 archive - to compensate for the lack of people shots in my 2010 series.
In place of birds singing in the morning sun, this fragrant harbour instead offered the sound of a senior citizen gargling in an open bathroom. He could be doing it to provide relief for a sore throat you never know. We have to be more understanding and accomodating don't you think? :-)
Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter 銅鑼灣避風塘, Hong Kong 香港, China 中国 (Sunday 9 Nov 2008 @ 7:43am).
#AB_FAV_IN_AUTUMN_ 🍄🍁🍂
I found these on the ground, in the ‘wild’.
Berries are so autumnal, only very few are edible now, except for the birds and other animals.
A jelly made from them is popular for dressing game.
According to Robert James in 1747, the fruit is excellent for treating the scurvy, and the exudates from the bark is good for the diseases of the spleen.
When dried and powdered the berries have been turned into a type of bread, and in an infusion make an acidulous drink.
A gargle made from the berries is good for a sore throat and inflamed tonsils.
However, it is bitter – very bitter.
Sorbus is a genus of about 100–200 species of trees and shrubs in the rose family Rosaceae. Species of Sorbus are commonly known as white-beam, rowan, service tree and mountain-ash.
This upright, tree is the most compact of the Rowan trees making it ideal for small gardens.
Fluffy, white corymbs of flowers appear in April-May that are popular with bees.
Mid/dark green pinnate foliage turns vibrant shades of orange and red in the autumn which complements the reddish orange berries that hang in heavy clusters and are a treat for the birds.
Popular folklore maintains that a heavy crop of fruit means a hard or difficult winter.
Similarly, in Finland and Sweden, the number of fruit on the trees was used as a predictor of the snow cover during winter.
However, as fruit production for a given summer is related to weather conditions the previous summer, with warm, dry summers increasing the amount of stored sugars available for subsequent flower and fruit production, it has no predictive relationship to the weather of the next winter.
Have a great day and thanks for viewing, M, (*_*)
for more: www.indigo2photography.com
IT IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN (BY LAW!!!) TO USE ANY OF MY image or TEXT on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit permission. © All rights reserved
Berries, red, Rowan, Sorbus, leaves, Autumn, "mountain ash", design, "conceptual art", studio, black-background, square, "Magda indigo"
Some people drink from the fountain of knowledge, others just gargle.
Robert Anthony
Interestingness #187 on April 27, 2007
A man stumbles out of a bar after a long night of celebrating a successful merger between his and another company. Not familiar with the neighborhood he takes a wrong turn down an alleyway. He wonders down and finds himself in a dead end. An overwhelming stench of blood forces the man's stomach to force whatever food he had left in it onto the ground beneath his feet. He notices a man in a long black cloak standing over a bloody corpse.
"Yo, man... can you direct me (hiccup) to main s-s-street?"
"You really shouldn't have found me."
"Woah, bro! I'm not (hiccup) looking for trouble... I don't even know if this-s-s is-s-s real."
"Hmm, you're high alcohol content in your body will make for an interesting meal. I'd rather not, but I can't let you leave."
"Yo dude, don't do this! Please don't!"
The man's please go in vain as the man in the cloak grabs him and forces his long fangs into the man's neck. A short scream of pain is let out but is soon drowned out into a blood gargling moan. Moments pass and the man in the cloak finally drops the man to the ground. A puddle of the remaining blood from the man's body splatters across the ground as his body drops. The man in the cloak wipes his face and spits out a piece of the man's neck.
"Filth..."
Replacing the standard McPherson struts and balloon tyres with Neutron-displacing icosahedron microgravity disrupters made for the smoothest of rides.
Alison was especially pleased by this tech advancement as her head was still throbbing from the Pan-Galactic Gargle-Blasters imbibed at last nights' Saturnalia party
==Jumbo Carson's Apartment==
One Month Ago
Preparing to make his move on Gotham General, Carson watched the monitors intently, footage relayed to him by his short-statured stepbrother. "The blind man's new. And last I heard Rigger and Sharpe were on the outs with Walker," he murmured.
"Things change. That one's Reardon. They call him the Ten-Eyed Man," Jumbo's voice replied.
"And that's Carpenter, is it? Don't tell me Lynns got that," Carson mumbled.
"Fine, I won't. You know he had a baby with Volcana, right?" Jumbo asked.
Carson shook his head. "Motherfucker... And what's that one, the blue and silver one with the gauntlets?"
"A suit."
Carson frowned. "Very funny, who is he is what I- It's really just an empty suit, isn't it?"
"Yep," Jumbo answered.
"Hhn," Carson paused. "You stay there; don't let any of them leave. I'm gonna gather up the troops. Maybe Krill'll save us the twenty minute walk from here to the hospital."
==The Gotham Royal Hotel==
Sionis Penthouse: Floor 48
Time Until Detonation: 15 Minutes
"Not much up close, is he?" Sionis tutted, putting his face close to Day's, a sadistic smile breaking across his skeletal features. "A varsity athlete, he is not. I'm thinking I'll truss him up with the fairy lights... Just as a starter. See, I wanna do something Christmas-y. Something ironic, you know? Hm, or maybe I'll just scalp him, I dunno. Think Zsasz was onto something, Kite-Man?"
"Leave him alone," Chuck warned.
"What?" Sionis let a low, contemptuous chuckle. "The guy holds you hostage, chokes you half to death and you still won't lemme torture him? And I thought Walker was the sap in your little gang. Hah. Boy, was I wrong there."
"Sir," Li walked between him and Brown, whispering words of caution into his employer's ear.
"Yeah, sure," Sionis begrudgingly agreed, and adjusting his tie, he followed Li back to his desk.
Chuck cast his eyes over to Ten, who was using a small first aid kit to tend to Blake's knife wound.
"Stay still," he advised as he wrapped Blake's torso in an excessive amount of gauze.
"My hero!" Blake answered weakly. "I like a guy with steady hands."
"Don't. It's a patch job at best," Ten stated. "Chuck, we should seriously consider taking him to a hospital," he informed their acting leader.
"No hospitals!" Blake protested. "They put you under, then they neuter you and steal your money!"
"No, that's- ok, they don't neuter you. Though that would solve a couple of your problems..." Ten murmured to himself.
Positioned at the desk, Kuttler rubbed his chest absent-mindedly. Dismissing the ailment, he inserted a cable into the side of Sionis' laptop and pulled up detailed schematics of the hotel. "I've been able to reroute building control to this laptop; the elevators are active again, and the comms are back online. The ones still intact, that is," he glared at Chuck.
"I said I was sorry!" Chuck protested.
"They had an off button."
Li sat down beside Kuttler and started combing through the building's restored security footage. "It appears your team took down Polka Dot Man, and it looks like the hostages have made it outside. Sir, look at this:" he beckoned Sionis forward.
Sionis looked at the monitor, recognising The Physician. "Gaige..." he growled under his breath. "Elevators are online, you said?" he asked Kuttler, already making a beeline for the lifts; followed closely by Li.
"Where are you going?" Chuck frowned. "There's still a bomb to-"
"Hey. That's what I pay you people," Sionis winked, as the door closed behind him.
"No. You don't!" Chuck shouted after him. "God... Kuttler... Don't suppose you could stall him for a minute-?"
"Stall him?" Kuttler stared at him, a slight smile forming across his thin face as he caught onto Chuck's plan. "I... suppose I could lockdown the elevators. For an hour or two," he spoke.
"People don't give you enough credit," Blake smirked at Chuck. "You're a diabolical mastermind."
"I didn't think you held grudges," Ten admitted. "But it's Bookworm I pity. Being trapped in a tight space with him for two hours can't be fun."
"Just until the bomb's dealt with, and we've left," Chuck defended himself. "Speaking of; Kuttler, you're the one who weaponised the Cloudburst to begin with, think you can locate it?"
"Of course. It'll be in the vents, somewhere the gas can spread throughout the building." Kuttler examined his gauntlet, projecting a small map of the hotel. "If it's anything like the one Cobb and I worked on, it'll emit a low pulse that I can track. There; You see this dot on the 22nd floor? That's the disarmed one Day used to scare the crowds. And here... Ah; Like I said, the service duct, floor 32. Should be an easy journey through the elevator shaft. The, uh, other elevator shaft, that is. Still, you can't blame Day for utilising tried and tested methods. The Cloudburst always was a technological marvel."
"If you say so." Chuck disagreed. "Gave me nightmares for weeks."
"Yes, well, you can't fault Stagg's engineering, only his ethics... It's been modified, compacted into something more lightweight. At a guess, I'd say it was Crane's handiwork. Fearless was a project of his that the Society abandoned years ago, could never find the right bonding agent for it... However did he complete it, might I ask?
"Talon blood," Chuck stated.
"Hm. Of course, the restorative compound in the dionesium would've been ideal," Kuttler spoke, impressed by the doctor's ingenuity, as he collected his materials.
Ten placed a hand on Chuck's back, and murmured in his ear. "Chuck, Blake's in no shape to be moved, and someone's got to stay behind to watch Day," he advised him.
Chuck frowned. "So, it's just you and Kuttler? What if you run into any trouble?"
"Krill and Kyle were the immediate threats. And we can handle the hired muscle just fine, thank you," Kuttler stated.
"We've faced worse odds, Chuck," Blake pointed out.
"Your comms still work, Reardon. Call Rigger, Sharpe, Flannegan, Lynns... Anyone who's available, and tell them to meet us there."
"I... might have encouraged Sharpe and Flannegan to smash their comms too," Chuck scratched his head.
Kuttler's lip curled as he struggled to process Chuck's confession. "Jesus Christ. I never would have got this from Ocean Master," he stated, as Ten led him out of the room.
==The Lobby: Ground Floor==
With the hostages safe, and Krill indisposed, Needham, Mayo and Sharpe had taken refuge in the hotel lobby.
Sharpe, was wearing Krill's belt across his shoulders as a trophy, looking like a particularly misshapen Miss America contestant. Pouring himself a beer, he sat atop the counter and gulped it down. Preparing a second drink, he offered the hose to his cohorts; Mayo seemed tempted, whilst Needham politely declined.
"Well, while you're over there, I wouldn't mind a bevvie," Krill smacked his lips thirstily. The Polka Dot Man, was bound to a chair by Needham's webs, rather harmless without his belt and nanotech dots. "For old times sake, nah?" he probed.
"Dude," Sharpe straightened up. "Not only do I barely know you, but you tried to kill me, and you called me a dick."
"Shouldn't have called him a dick," Needham reprimanded Krill.
"I call everyone a dick," Krill shrugged.
"You try to kill them too?" Sharpe responded, still hurt from their last brawl.
"Most people," Krill stated. "That was a joke, god. Why can't anyone trust me?" he chuckled.
Needham stared at him in disbelief. "Would you like them to?" he inquired.
Krill shrugged. "I dunno, not particularly. But suppose if they did, it'd be much easier to weed out the idiots. What sane person would trust this mug, eh? See, I once rigged a supermarket's alarm to go off for every tenth person, just to watch the idiots squirm. 'Oh no, did I pay for that loaf of bread? Did I accidentally buy fireworks? What if they find my copy of Birdemic?' Hah!"
...
"Oh, bah humbug to the lot of you," he glared at the stone-faced trio.
"Me too?" Mayo asked, his upper lip stained with beer froth.
"Especially you," Krill decreed.
Needham rose from his stool and patrolled the lobby, unfastening his knife from the holster on his boot. Something was off. Krill was stalling.
Before he could react, a gloved hand had grabbed his arm and pulled him close, whispering in his ear:
"You don't need to fight me. You don't want to fight me," the high, melodious voice sang. "What you want, is to sleep. After all, you're so tired, so very very very tired. Tired of fighting. Tired of the secrets. Tired of the rage. So why don't you have a nice long sleep. And when I'm done, it will all be over."
To Needham, it was as though the man had come out of nowhere; in truth he must have simply slipped by them whilst Krill distracted them with unprompted what-about-isms. And try as he might to resist, the man's suggestion was sounding more appealing with each word spoken. His eyelids drooped shut, and he collapsed onto the marble floor, snoring loudly. That, got the others attention, but they fell just as quickly.
"Ladies first," The Psycho Pirate tittered, as Bridget Pike timidly followed him into the security room.
"Hello, Hayden. Your highness. You know, I was just about to come get you!" Krill lied, still bound to his chair.
The Psycho Pirate stared at Krill disappointedly, and skipped ahead.
"...I'll just sit here, shall I?" Krill called after them.
==Sionis Penthouse: Floor 48==
Blake's nose twitched, as his feline senses kicked in. "Do you smell something?" he asked Chuck.
Chuck rushed over to the broken windowsill where he had made his earlier entrance and gasped; a thin trail of smoke was climbing up the building as an orange glow bathed the room like the morning sun: Fire.
"It's Barson."
Blake and Chuck turned around to look at Julian, who had remained silent since his undignified defeat at their hands.
"I call him Barson," he added.
Blake broke into a fit of giggles before finally composing himself. "I don't get it," he admitted.
Catching sight of a blurry red-clad silhouette rising up the building, getting closer and closer, Chuck took a step back from the windowsill, and threw himself to the floor. As he hit the ground, his gun slipped out of his holster, sliding across the ground towards Day.
As he ascended up towards the penthouse, thick, billowing smoke sputtered and hissed from Ted Carson's jetpack. And without a word spoken, he aimed both gauntlets at the room, firing a barrage of incendiary missiles at the group.
Using his kite as a makeshift shield, Chuck dove behind it for cover, whilst Blake pulled himself across the floor towards Sionis' Italian maple desk.
A second round of missiles hit the ground and erupted into orange fireballs, setting alight the burgundy carpet.
Spying Chuck's discarded gun and looking for cover, Julian kicked the legs of his chair; landing on the ground with an unpleasant thud. Using Carson's inferno to his advantage, he moved his wrists towards the flames, the fire burning through the thick ropes Sionis had bound him in.
As Carson set foot on the penthouse floor, Chuck ran at him, landing an uppercut on Carson's covered chin; An attack that didn't phase the red-clad arsonist, but did scald Chuck's hand; the Mothkiller's metallic armour was hot to the touch, purposefully so. His knuckles bruised with pink boils, Chuck was so distracted by the pain that he couldn't react to Carson's response; pulling him by his tie, and tossing him across the room like he were an Olympic shot-put. Chuck was incapacitated, Blake was out of commission, all Carson had to contend with now, was Day himself.
Clang. Clang. Clang.
Clang. Clang. Clang.
Day fired Chuck's gun at Carson's armour, the bullets bouncing off the crimson battlesuit.
Clang. Clang. Clang.
The clip empty, he cast the gun aside and made his exit through the same doorway Kuttler and Ten had left through. Carson's armoured form had its own pitfalls; he was much slower on foot than he was in the air, and the smoke from his flames had coated the room in a thick steam.
Undeterred, he marched onwards. Day would be screaming for mercy by the time he was through with him.
His breathing ragged, Chuck reached into his pocket, and let out a sigh of relief that quickly turned to despair. The diaxymine, had survived the scuffle.
==Floor 25: Room 792==
Waiting to hear from their teammates, and getting increasingly agitated, Drury started to talk, then pulled Joey away from the King's prying eyes. "What're we even doing here, Joe?" he asked his younger teammate.
"You'd know better than me," Joey shrugged cheekily.
Drury smirked slightly. "No, but seriously. I had... a talk with someone earlier."
"You mean Tiger Shark?"
Drury paused, surprised by Joey's perceptiveness.
"That old crabby guy downstairs is Tiger Shark, right? The one in the Halloween make-up and ascot?" Joey had sat down on the mattress and was now motioning for Drury to join him.
"I- Well, yeah," Drury sat down. "Gaige said... Well, it's more that he ordered me to break the cycle. End the feud with Carson... Hah, whatever that means."
"What, like, make peace?" Joey was doubtful.
"You think that's Gaige's advice? To invite him over for dinner and watch the Muppet's Christmas Carol? Chuck's maybe."
"I dunno, Drury. Wish I did. But he's old school. It was simple in his day. They had rules, codes of conduct. Lines they didn't cross. They'd never try something like Jules or Carson. Never be so... underhanded, y'know? That thing with the car and Gar? Wasn't right."
"I guess," Drury spoke, dissatisfied with the answer.
"Y'know, I hope he works things out. They were a real cute couple."
"Who?" Drury asked, wondering if he was referring to Day and Carson, caught off guard by the sudden change in topic.
"...Garpenter," Joey explained.
Drury stared at him blankly.
"Y'know. Gar and Jenna."
"Garpenter?" Drury repeated the term.
"It's a ship name. A portmanteau. Like when you take two names and-"
"I have a daughter Joe, I know what shipping means. Just didn't think you were a fan."
Joey fidgeted. "Right. Yeah. Of course. So, I take it you aren't then-?"
"Look, I'm just not that enthused about my best friend getting back together with a woman who abandoned him at the first hurdle. If she got cold feet knocking boots with a pyromaniac, that's her business. But it's mine to protect him from another heartbreak."
"The first hurdle-? That's... not why they broke up," Joey said, puzzled. "Gar didn't tell you?"
"What? Tell me what."
"It was... It was you. She, uh, apparently said that she didn't want to see him wind up in another hospital bed because of one of 'your' enemies. Or worse. But so long as you and Gar are tight and you and Carson aren't, then he'd always be under threat. So she gave him an ultimatum. Her or you."
"Her too, huh?" Drury sighed, admittedly touched by Gar's choice, if not a little confused.
"I... wouldn't take it personally, Dru."
"Well, Joe, it's a little hard not to. I dunno... I always thought I was the one protecting Gar. That I knew what was best for him, for all of you... But maybe I don't," Drury tightened his shoulder holster and rose to his feet. "I'm gonna get some air," he decided.
"Hey, Chuck said we should watch the King-" Joey called after him.
"You're welcome to stay," Drury smirked. "Or, we could go find that bomb."
Joey shot a wary glance at The King, who winked back. "Nah, I'm good."
"Good," Drury nodded. "Lock the door after you, alright?"
As they got ready, Joey put his finger to his ear, shushing Drury as he answered the call. "Chuck! Funny story; we were actually just about to come and- Woah, woah, slow down... No, yeah, I heard- He's what? You sent Ten where? Who's there-? Wait, where are you, then?"
Joey put his hand by his side, his lip quivering.
"It's Carson."
===Floor 19: East Hallway==
Gar was glancing over at Jenna, knelt at Franco's side. Part of him figured he was faking the injury. The other part hated himself for presuming as much, and for insulting Jenna's intelligence.
Moving forward, he greeted Drury and Joey. "You hear?" he asked softly.
"I heard," Drury confirmed. "Where's Sharpe?"
"He fell out a window," Gaige said bluntly.
"Real tragedy," Flannegan tutted.
...
"He lived," he elaborated.
Drury and Joey, exchanged disapproving looks.
==Floor 32: West Ventilation Duct==
"Mr Kuttler? Noah?" Ten's voice rang in Kuttler's ear.
"Wha-? Who-?"
"It's Ten, Reardon. What's wrong?"
Kuttler's eyes fluttered, his breathing grew heavier, and now he could hardly hear Reardon's words of concern. He should never have wasted that insulin on that failed attempt on Krill. What was he thinking...? He had spent too much time at that damn college, too much time with the Misfits, that was it. He'd have never made a mistake so foolish before he met them. Never!
Without the medication, his throat had dried up... he needed water, fast. But here he was, trapped in a narrow steel tunnel, running out of breath.
He clutched his chest and slumped to the floor, his stomach gurgling with an unquenchable thirst.
Anxious, Ten cast his prosthetic hand at him and then to the end of the shaft. At the other end of the duct was a large cardboard box; covered in striped wrapping paper, topped with a large satin bow.
'That must be it,' he reasoned.
Laying Kuttler on his side (as comfortable as he could leave him), Ten marched onwards towards the ticking parcel, casting aside the handwritten 'Do Not Open Before December 24th label.'
Though concerned for his teammate, he knew he had to keep going. His time in the army had taught him that much; the mission comes first. Always. And yet, he still regretted leaving him behind.
Sure enough, the device within matched Joey's report; a large spherical drum with a computer interface: The monitor displayed the ticking clock, and Ten's heart sank.
Three minutes.
Three minutes to disarm Day's bomb.
Three minutes to save the Misfits.
He put his hand to his earpiece and caught the Misfits up to speed. "This is Ten: I have the bomb in front of me, but Kuttler's down... I dealt with a couple of IEDs in the war, but nothing like this-"
"This is Chuck; I've got Blake's earpiece. Don't do anything until I get there," Chuck urged him.
"That's a negative, Chuck. He's already set a timer. We've got less than three minutes before this thing detonates."
"Ten, listen, it's Joe: You're going to be alright: I'm going to have to guide you through this, ok?"
"Ok, ok," he nodded nervously as he began fiddling with the centre console. "It's asking for a code!" he called out.
"A code?" Gar mouthed to Drury. "What's the code?"
"Try 12/09/65," Chuck suggested as he ran down the hall.
The Misfits were silent.
"It's... It's the original airdate for A Charlie Brown Christmas," he sighed.
"Fuck a doodle-doo, the man has issues..." Gaige shrugged.
"Uh, yeah, we noticed," Joey agreed, clearly agitated.
The device hummed softly as the front panel slid away to reveal a series of brightly coloured wires. Reardon spoke up again. "Ok, it's opening, now what?"
"Ok, Phil," Rigger advised, "All you'll need is to cut the blue wire."
Reardon plunged his hand into the device and felt the intricate matrix of wires, searching for his target... Greens... Yellows... Reds... "Got you." He tugged on the bright blue wire and snapped it. The vial of Fearless slid out of the device, rather like a can of soda out of a vending machine, and landed in his awaiting palm.
"Ten. Ten, are we good?" Joey's voice wavered.
"Well, I'm still standing," he breathed, letting out a relieved, short-lived chuckle.
Day had brought a large fire axe crashing down into the Cloudburst. A stroke that narrowly missed Ten's skull.
Day reeled it back in and went in for another strike, but this time, Ten caught the blade in his prosthetic hand and pushed it away. Using a free hand, he grabbed the handle and wrestled control away from Day, whacking him in the face with the blunt end of the weapon.
"I want that vial," Day snarled, abandoning the axe, opting for hand to hand combat instead.
"Tough."
Day's first punch broke Ten's nose, the second knocked the goggles off his face.
Gargling blood, Ten persisted, tightening his grip on the vial. With his free hand, he threw a left jab at Day's cheek, knocking him off balance. As Day attempted to regain his footing, a hand grabbed his ankle: Kuttler, rooting him in place for Ten to strike again. The next jab hit Day's lip, the next struck his right eye. The fourth, never landed. At that point, Day had shrugged off Kuttler and dodged Ten's fist, retrieving the axe. And before Ten could respond, the axe had landed in his shoulder.
"W- What's the point?" Ten panted in pain, as he collapsed to the ground, his hands splaying open. "The hostages are safe. Your bomb's gone. Without- Without the dispersal device, you'll only be affecting, what? Twenty people? Maybe less? Why does it matter to you? What does any of this matter now?"
"You still don't understand?" Day said glumly, as he knelt down beside Ten, and recovered the vial. "Everything. Fearless? This little experiment? They are the only thing keeping the Misfits alive."
"So I was right. You are too far gone," a familiar voice growled.
Ted Carson stepped forward, joined by Bridget Pike and Roger Hayden. "What gives? Thought we were on the same page. Thought we both wanted the Bug dead."
The Pirate, cocked his head to one side as he recognised Ten. "The Ten-Eyed Man," he spoke.
"You... You remember me?" Ten asked.
"Of course. You were the one man in Arkham City who was able to resist my influence. Quite rude, really. Still, I played my role. That's all any of us can do."
Day rolled his eyes. "Actually, if you don't mind, Barson, I was actually in the-"
"No, stay," Carson compelled him.
As he tried to move, The Psycho Pirate wrapped his arms around his torso, restraining him.
Carson, noticed the silver tube in Day's hand, and curiosity overcame him. "What's this then?" he asked, summoning Bridget to his side.
His daughter moved in on Day and plucked the vial from his hand, holding it up for her father to see.
"That, is mine," Day struggled. "Give it back."
"Why? Is it some kinda bioweapon? You gonna use it on Walker?" Carson wondered, now fascinated by the prospect.
Bridget turning her attention to Day's machine, her eyes widening as she recognised the device. "The Cloudburst..." she gasped.
"Eh? What's a Cloudburst?" Carson demanded.
"Never you mind," Day dismissed him. "Hand. It. Over," he urged Pike.
Bridget looked down, taking a step back from him. "No," she said firmly.
"No?"
"No."
"Hah! The vial, Bridget," Carson demanded, offering Bridget an expectant palm. But he fared no better than Day. "Now, kitten," he hissed.
Julian scoffed, and tilted his head towards Carson. "Do you see the kind of bad attitude your parenting fosters? Tell the child that-"
"Oho, no. No, I'm done listening to you. I came to you!" Carson snapped. "It was my plan! My people!"
Day chuckled. "Yes, you did. And no, it wasn't. You have no scope. No sense of scale. You have two of the most dangerous supervillains on the planet on your payroll, and you use them for manual labour and childish errands.
And what exactly, have you accomplished, after all these years? You killed a piece of fabric. Congratulations." he goaded Carson. "You're about as lethal as a washing machine. A defective washing machine."
Carson unsheathed his fire sword, a bright red flame protruding from the golden hilt. "Let him go, Hayden."
Dropped to the floor, Day grabbed his axe, and the two combatants began circling the room, their weapons drawn.
"No, Dad, please, he's not worth it," Bridget protested, stuck between the two men.
"On the contrary, girl, I very much am. Please, continue. I could do with something to raise my spirits," Day teased.
"You, stay out of this, Bridget. This is between me and the freak," Carson agreed.
"Oh... Freak? Really?" Day asked incredulously. "Tell me, how many times have you been resurrected in some ungodly display?"
"You hypocrite... you talk of God, and yet you'd cut off a man's head and stuff it in a pumpkin."
"That-! That, was to prove a point. And no, I didn't stuff it in a pumpkin. I placed a candle in its' mouth," Day spoke plainly.
"Ooh, a point? Was it a testament to how insane you are? Cause, bravo, it worked!"
Incensed, Day swung the axe at Carson's chest.
The Firesword intercepted the blade, cutting through the weapon like it was nothing more than butter.
The axe head, clattered onto the metal flooring while Day abandoned the shaft, and raised his hands up in defeat.
Carson let out a satisfied cackle. "What do you say, Hayden? Wanna put that mask to good use? I want this putz terrified when I gut him. Begging for his life, y'hear?" Carson asked.
The Pirate stayed rooted in place.
"Or... I could do it myself. Jesus Christ..." he sighed, noting the Pirate's silence. As he approached Day, weapon drawn, that all-too-familiar, melodious voice whispered in his ear.
"Why fight? Why bother? Wouldn't you rather sleep? Sleeeeeeeeep," The Psycho Pirate skipped over to Day's side. And though he tried to resist, Carson's eyelids were beginning to droop.
"Dad!" Bridget screamed.
"Quiet, you," Day spat. "Roger?"
The Pirate nodded and started to sing to Bridget now too. "You don't want to fight. You've been fighting all your life. Instead, you want to give me that vial. I'll take care of it. You know I will. Better than Daddy. Better than Day. So you'll give it to me, and I'll make sure no one else suffers because of your family."
An involuntary smile stretched across her face as Bridget held her hand out, and presented the vial to Hayden.
"See? That wasn't so hard!" he giggled delightedly. "Now, silly girl, you had better take a nap!"
"He... He works for you-?" Carson waved an accusatory hand at Day, as Hayden passed Day the vial back.
"For my partners, yes. After that hospital fiasco, my partners offered Hayden a larger pool of subjects to toy with. And, well, after weeks of being cooped up in that dingy apartment with you? He was all too eager to accept."
Carson let out an involuntary yawn. "You... bastard... Turned my men... Against..."
"Oh, Barson, you still don't get it, do you?" Day tutted. "This was never about you. You simply gave the Outcasts a face. You brought the Misfits together. And now, they're mine to play with," he smiled, fiddling absent mindedly with the vial of Fearless. "Every last one of them."
"Julian, stop!" a strained voice echoed.
Day rolled his shoulders, and tilted his head in the voice's direction.
"Please! Pretty please! Let me deal with him!" Hayden offered, jumping up and down at the prospect of toying with another mind.
"Oh, Roger, that's hardly necessary. Is it, Charles?"
"One last chance," Chuck limped towards him, panting. "Please. You have no idea what that stuff'll do."
"No?" Day asked sarcastically. "The compound that turned you into a catchphrase spewing socialist?"
"- I am a socialist-"
"The compound that turned the Condiment King into a reckless lunatic? The compound that turned Crazy Quilt into- Well, I suppose it didn't really work on Paul, did it? Yes, I think I do."
Chuck bowed his head despondently. "Then I am truly sorry."
No sooner had the words left his mouth, had Chuck charged at Day, bringing them both toppling to the floor; in the ensuing scuffle, he elbowed the medusa mask off of Roger Hayden's face, breaking the hold he had over Bridget and her father: No longer enslaved, Carson snarled, grabbing Hayden by the shoulders. "Muthafucka!" he shrieked.
Fumbling around, Hayden put the mask back on his face and once more sought to control Carson. "You don't want to kill me! You don't want to kill me! Not when he still lives! Your greatest enemy! Your vilest foe! 'Cause, you hate him, don't you? Hate. Hate. Hate him. You know this to be true. You know what you have to do. You know who you have to slay. Don't you?"
"I- yes," Carson agreed. "Yes."
Under his spell, he let Hayden go and sauntered away.
As Day clawed at Chuck's arms, Chuck forced the contents of his silver bottle down Day's throat.
Day gagged, his eyes widening as he recognised the bottle, the medication that had plagued him for much of his adult life. Diaxymine.
"No... Please... Don't... Charles, I can't go back," he screamed, as Chuck abandoned him on the floor, and rushed to Reardon's side.
"I'll be fine, Chuck, he... barely grazed me," Ten wheezed.
"It- It wasn't supposed to end like this- he... He told me I was special..." Day drooled onto the floor as his eyes glazed over.
"Fearless would have fixed them. Don't you see? They'd be perfect. Just... like... us."
This is in memory of all the thousands of servicemen who made the ultimate sacrifice during the First World War 1914 - 1918.
Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,
Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs
And towards our distant rest began to trudge.
Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boot
But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;
Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots
Of tired, outstripped Five-Nines that dropped behind.
Gas! Gas! Quick, boys! – An ecstasy of fumbling,
Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time;
But someone still was yelling out and stumbling,
And flound'ring like a man in fire or lime . . .
Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light,
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.
In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,
He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.
If in some smothering dreams you too could pace
Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin;
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie; Dulce et Decorum est Pro patria mori.
DULCE ET DECORUM EST
By Wilfred Owen 1893 - 1918
Wilfred who was born in Shropshire in 1893 served his Country in the First World War. When he returned to the Western Front, after more than a year away, he took part in the breaking of the Hindenburg Line at Joncourt (October 1918) for which he was awarded the Military Cross in recognition of his courage and leadership. He was killed on 4 November 1918 during the battle to cross the Sambre-Oise canal at Ors.
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The Yellow Wattlebird occurs only in Tasmania and is Australia’s largest honeyeater. It is active and noisy. The call of this species is a mixture of gargling and coughing noises, audible over long distances.
Better on B l a c k M a g i c
Todays challenge on www.photochallenge.org/ was "Clean"
On my way in today I wondered to myself what I could get a shot of in the city that was related to clean, certainly not my office table, thats a total Mess, then I thought about the hand Sanitizer I carry around with me know and use reularly through the day especially after being in Public places and public transport, it plus gargling with mouth wash twice a day along with a saline spray up my nose are tips I have been given from various sources for reducing the chances of catching the flu or Swine flu, so I am being very good with all three these days
Hope everyones week started well, about to watch heroes shortly, will catch up with your streams later
So here I was in pleasant Seoul rereading what I'd written on O'ahu about one of the first botanists of the University of Groningen, Abraham Munting (1626-1683). We'd visited some 'museum' sites earlier in the day - the Jeoldusan Martyrs Museum and the National Museum of Korea - both of which boast small but pretty and very well labeled botanical gardens.
One of the nice things about plants is that many of them are cosmopolitan, like this Prunella vulgaris, Heart-heal or Heart-of-the-Earth, a member of the Mint Family (Labiatae, Lamiaceae). Of course I had to see what my hero Munting has to say about this herb. He's always remarkable in his colorful language. First he tells us (1696) that to grow successfully its seed has 'to be planted during the waxing Moon of March and not too deeply'. Going on to describe 'Bruynelle''s medicinal properties he says that it can be used against the 'miserable affliction called 'the Brown', in which Tongue and Throat become thick, hot, dry and raw. An infusion of Bruynelle should be gargled with but not before a blood vessel under the tongue has been opened'...
This particular Prunella here in Seoul is also described as the subspecies 'asiatica'. It was called 'lilacina' - lilac purple - by the great Japanese botanist Takoshin Nakai (1882-1952), who worked on Korean plants between 1909 and 1942. He published an amazing flora for Korea, which includes our beauty.
The purple is so very deeply lilac purple - the photo hardly justifies it - that I immediately associated it with the purple with which martyrs of the Church are clothed. I thought of the 2000 or so who in 1866 were killed on 'Beheading Hill' - Jeoldusan - on the orders of Regent Heungseon Daewongun. Their bodies were then thrown into the nearby Han River: if I were an ancient writer of ecclesiastical history such as Tertullian, my pen might have come out with: '... and the waters of the Han were colored purple with their blood'.
Folkloric
· In the Philippines, decoction of dried roots used as emmenagogue.
· Few seeds, masticated and eaten, said to be a good stomachic.
· Skin pruritus, scabies: use pounded fresh material (quantity sufficient combine with kerosene applied over the afflicted area.)
· Concentrated decoction may also be used as external wash over afflicted area.
· Decoction of leaves used for washing cuts and sores; also used for the treatment of cholera.
· Decoction of leaves used as pectoral and antiscabious.
· Poultice of pounded leaves or bruised leaves applied to wounds and boils; also, inflamed joints.
· Juice of leaves used for facial acne, gum-boils, sores and wounds.
· Sap of leaves, mixed with salt, used for clearing vision.
· Plant used for ear and skin infections.
· Leaves used for poulticing herpes and rheumatism.
· Decoction of leaves and flowers used as gargle for sore throats and tonsillitis.
· Flowers in small doses are emmenagogue; in large doses, abortive.
· In Mexico, decoction of roots or any plant part used for asthma.
· In Liberia, considered and used as "erysipelas" plant.
· In India, juice of leaves used for treating sores and insect bites.
· Leaf juice given to infants for cough.
· In Costa Rica, leaves are crushed and used as resolvent for abscesses and furuncles.
· In Indo-China, decoction of leaves used for urticaria.
· In Nigeria, used for fevers and ulcers.
· Sino-Annamites used the plant for beri-beri.
· In West Africa, used for vomiting, amenorrhea, high blood pressure; sap applied to gumboils, clean up ulcers and for eye infections.
· In Sierra Leone , decoction of leaves used for washing new-born babies.
· In Senegal, leaf powder used for dermatitis, eczema, impetigo in children.
· In Indonesia, leaf decoction is used for thrush; poultices used for herpes and rheumatism.
· In Thailand, traditionally used for wound healing.
· In Taiwan, a folk remedy for sore throat and lung diseases.
source: stuart xchange
Tag is a tenor.
Yep, not a mirror... now can you tell which is which? -- Poodle moms know, Tag on the left.
Wood Sage - (a.k.a. American Germander, Canadian Germander; Teucrium canadense) - Tosohatchee Wildlife Management Area, 3365 Taylor Creek Rd, Christmas, Florida
The complete progression of a progressively developmental linear inflorescence from bud to petal-drop.
Notes:
A 10,700 × 21,400 (4x8; double square)
eight capture composite image.
So, feel free to pump it up with the 🔍 tool.
Native Americans often ground the leaves of this Germ-ander to prepare a herbal tea for use as a diuretic and to promote sweating.
The green parts of the plant are also used as an antiseptic wound dressing and made into a tincture for gargling as a remedy for sore throats.
Though, as a scientist I would advise against these remedies, since there have been no scientific clinical studies, and Wood Sage has therefore not been approved for these uses by the FDA. :{(
I found these on the ground, in the ‘wild’.
Berries are so autumnal, only very few are edible now, except for the birds and other animals.
A jelly made from them is popular for dressing game.
According to Robert James in 1747, the fruit is excellent for treating the scurvy, and the exudates from the bark is good for the diseases of the spleen.
When dried and powdered the berries have been turned into a type of bread, and in an infusion make an acidulous drink.
A gargle made from the berries is good for a sore throat and inflamed tonsils.
However, it is bitter – very bitter.
Sorbus is a genus of about 100–200 species of trees and shrubs in the rose family Rosaceae. Species of Sorbus are commonly known as white-beam, rowan, service tree and mountain-ash.
This upright, tree is the most compact of the Rowan trees making it ideal for small gardens.
Fluffy, white corymbs of flowers appear in April-May that are popular with bees.
Mid/dark green pinnate foliage turns vibrant shades of orange and red in the autumn which complements the reddish orange berries that hang in heavy clusters and are a treat for the birds.
Popular folklore maintains that a heavy crop of fruit means a hard or difficult winter.
Similarly, in Finland and Sweden, the number of fruit on the trees was used as a predictor of the snow cover during winter.
However, as fruit production for a given summer is related to weather conditions the previous summer, with warm, dry summers increasing the amount of stored sugars available for subsequent flower and fruit production, it has no predictive relationship to the weather of the next winter.
Have a great day and thanks for viewing, M, (*_*)
for more: www.indigo2photography.com
IT IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN (BY LAW!!!) TO USE ANY OF MY image or TEXT on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit permission. © All rights reserved
goBerries, red, Rowan, Sorbus, leaves, Autumn, "mountain ash", design, "conceptual art", studio, black-background, square, "Magda indigo" NIKOND7000
The meadows are plush with beautiful heads of flowers near Market Harborough as light engines pass by on a sunny morning. The line between Kettering and Market Harborough as of this upload (08/08/22) has masts for OHL now installed so another lovely open shot will be gargled with steel uprights and no dought lineside fencing in due course
Feed a fever, starve a cold? One of those old chestnuts of folklore that I never could remember. No matter how it really goes, in my mind it sounds delightful to feed a fever. It's just a wonderful metaphor for how bad things sometimes escalate. Not really looking for mayhem in my own life but it does play well with the visual construct of my photostream. I like for there always to be a degree of discomfort looking at these photos. Anyway back to the old adage, I woke up the other morning feeling a bit under the weather. Not quite as energetic as usual and a bit foggy-headed (more so than usual). This soon morphed into a sore throat and my voice dropped a couple of octaves. Unquestionably a common cold developing, something I haven't experienced in years. How could this happen I wondered? I retraced my steps over the past few days and soon settled on a community Easter egg hunt that I had photographed Saturday morning. No idea if that was the source but I have to pin the blame on something. And being in a large roomful of kids seems like a safe bet for my disease vector. "Rotten kids" I growled last evening in my new-found radio announcer voice. Dinner last night tasted as if I was eating prop food from a movie set. Virtually tasteless. But I kept at my home remedies, gargling with salt water and sucking zinc lozenges, accompanied by an occasional spray of Zicam. Woke up today feeling nearly new again. Sure hoping I dodged the bullet here. Seems too good to be true but I've focused the last several years on clean living and working out. So hopefully I'm good for another five or six years. Time will tell.
The subject photo has nothing whatsoever to do with any of this, but that's how it goes sometimes. The connection is sometime tenuous or even nonexistent. I captured this scene in the local cemetery right at sunset. I love being here and ex-eriecning this time of day. A place that's all too familiar by day is transformed into a world dark silhouettes and rich sky tones. In these minutes it's as if I'm someplace else as the surroundings become beautiful yet completely unrecognizable. Moments like this make me value my good health all the more and propel me on explorations like this. I'm encouraged to waste not a moment of precious life.
My throat has been killing me the past few days due to a post nasal drip so this is nothing fancy. I almost made myself eat a spoon full of honey in the thought that it would help. But then I remembered that there is no actual evidence that honey actually helps with sore throats. I'm not complaining, the honey probably would've led me to gag anyway. I'll just stick to gargling salt water.
The common moorhen (Gallinula chloropus), also known as the waterhen or swamp chicken, is a bird species in the rail family (Rallidae). It is distributed across many parts of the Old World.
The common moorhen lives around well-vegetated marshes, ponds, canals and other wetlands. The species is not found in the polar regions or many tropical rainforests. Elsewhere it is likely the most common rail species, except for the Eurasian coot in some regions.
The moorhen is a distinctive species, with dark plumage apart from the white undertail, yellow legs and a red frontal shield. The young are browner and lack the red shield. The frontal shield of the adult has a rounded top and fairly parallel sides; the tailward margin of the red unfeathered area is a smooth waving line. In the related common gallinule of the Americas, the frontal shield has a fairly straight top and is less wide towards the bill, giving a marked indentation to the back margin of the red area.
The common moorhen gives a wide range of gargling calls and will emit loud hisses when threatened.[6] A midsized to large rail, it can range from 30 to 38 cm (12 to 15 in) in length and span 50 to 62 cm (20 to 24 in) across the wings. The body mass of this species can range from 192 to 500 g (6.8 to 17.6 oz).
This species will consume a wide variety of vegetable material and small aquatic creatures. They forage beside or in the water, sometimes walking on lilypads or upending in the water to feed. They are often secretive, but can become tame in some areas. Despite loss of habitat in parts of its range, the common moorhen remains plentiful and widespread.
The birds are territorial during breeding season, and will fight with other members of their species, as well as other water birds such as ducks, to drive them out of their territory. The nest is a basket built on the ground in dense vegetation. Laying starts in spring, between mid-March and mid-May in Northern hemisphere temperate regions. About 8 eggs are usually laid per female early in the season; a brood later in the year usually has only 5–8 or fewer eggs. Nests may be re-used by different females. Incubation lasts about three weeks. Both parents incubate and feed the young. These fledge after 40–50 days, become independent usually a few weeks thereafter, and may raise their first brood the next spring. When threatened, the young may cling to the parents' body, after which the adult birds fly away to safety, carrying their offspring with them.
For more information, please visit en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_moorhen