Blue, Flu, and a Healing Brew

Oh how it makes you feel blue,
When your sweating in bed with the flu.


http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/photos/influenza/#/flu-virus_959_600x450.jpg


How can something so small do soooo much damage? The flu bacteria landing on the lungs cilia, such evil brown guys, don't be fooled by their teddy bear pom pom good looks.


The Bowerbirds have been very Blue.

As a birthday gift that nasty bug gangster, after wreaking havoc with my children, jumped in my bed, sending me shivering, tossing, and moaning, and feeling thoroughly sad to be in my own skin. Now I know why the middle one was begging for the Doctor. 

Thank goodness for small mercies.  Mr Bowerbird's work runs a flu vaccine program for its employees each year and he had had his shots earlier this year. Amazingly, they worked against our evil strain, and he was able to look after us when he was home from work. Last night he even made us a delicious vegie stir fry.

A Healing Brew

I have a very clever friend who is a healer.  Her daughter also got very sick and I got some natural remedy ideas from her. It was fun making up a concoction and I was surprised by how many healing herbs we have in our garden.

Borage leaves, thyme (2 varieties), lemon verbena and mint. 

and ginger

Boil up the herbs and ginger in a pot with 2 cups of water.  I was also meant to add cinnamon sticks to this but I forgot.  The beautiful pink colour comes from the handful of elderberry berries I had in the freezer - I threw these into the brew and ate a few frozen as well. When the liquid has reduced by half add the juice of a lemon and 1/2 cup of honey.  Hopefully I haven't butchered the recipe too much working from memory.

As the liquid is quite benign you can't really have too much 

- I've been having a few good spoonfuls a day. I can't say if it's had any apparent benefit but it does taste quite delicious.

Looks so much prettier than the stuff in here although I did resort to using it for the fevers.  The kids weren't really convinced on the taste of either.

Today all the kids are mostly well, with just the remnants of a cough. Two are finally back at school and the house is coming back to a sense of routine. I'm on the go slow but feeling a lot better than I did Friday. Enough to make me think about getting the flu vaccine next year.