Feverfew

A quietish day today. I took Chris to the station to catch the train back to Sheffield, and as usual, the house suddenly seemed empty after he'd gone. Both Pete and I spent the afternoon working, at different sites in the local area. I finished my quadrats in Thorpe Wood, though for part of the time it was so grey that I could scarcely see the vegetation under the dense tree canopy.

The rest of the afternoon was spent tidying the garden and baking a special cake for Father's Day, which we decorated with wild strawberries gathered from our front drive. I was going to take the dogs out for a walk and seek a blip, but I suddenly felt very achy and a bit peculiar, so searched round the garden instead to see what I could find.

Tonight's choice is feverfew, which is in full flower at the moment. We always have several self-seeded plants and I leave them because I love their simple and cheerful yellow and white flowers. It's a member of the sunflower family, and has been used for centuries in European folk medicine as a remedy for headaches, arthritis, and fevers. The term feverfew is adapted from the Latin word febrifugia or "fever reducer."

Russell crow has had a good day. He's spent most of it out in the garden and has become quite vocal. At one point he was definitely communicating with his parents. And today only one magpie came to look at him. His flight is getting much stronger and he's much more accurate at landing. All the excitement has made him very snoozy this evening. He sat with us while we watched Paul and now we've just put him to bed in his room. I think he's going to miss all his home comforts!