Exiled from his native Bulgaria, Playwright and novelist Georgi Markov had just finished walking across the Thames on Waterloo Bridge. There he waited for the bus which would take him to his office at the BBC in London, a regular trip for him. He suddenly felt a sharp pain, as though he’d been stung by […]
What survived the winter in the witch’s garden?
Relatively speaking it was a nasty winter. It turned cold in November and is still a bit chilly most days in March, as well as dipping down below freezing at night. And tomorrow’s forecast is for rain, freezing rain and snow, So it’s not quite over yet. When the wind chill took us below zero, […]
A Ballad: Sweet William’s Farewell To Black-Eyed Susan
by: John Gay (1685-1732) All in the Downs the fleet was moor’d, The streamers waving in the wind, When black-ey’d Susan came aboard. Oh! where shall I my true love find! Tell me, ye jovial sailors, tell me true, If my sweet William sails among the crew. William, who high upon the yard, Rock’d with […]
Were witch’s gardens used by witches and herbalists in the middle ages?
To answer that question, you first have to answer the question “what is a witch?” If your concept of a witch is Miss Almira Gulch and her alter ego The Wicked Witch of the West from the Wizard of Oz, the answer is no. Besides, witches would have ridden their broomsticks naked and greased up.Witch […]
Hollyhock symbolism and meaning: A positive influence to the witch’s garden, along with fairies, bees, butterflies and white magic
Hollyhock symbolism and meaning have an ancient pedigree, as they do for healing. Hollyhocks are symbolic of the cycle of life, and so you find them i funeral practices of the ancients, as well as fertility. You’re hard pressed to find a malevolent use for the plant. Bees and butterflies are attracted to the pollen […]
Daily Life of the 19th Century: Patent Medications and Homeopathic cures at Washington Irving’s Sunnyside
When you’re touring a historic home museum, keep an eye out for the little details which speak volumes about the people who lived there. Sunnyside was the home of American author Washington Irving, who wrote most famously, the short stories The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and Rip Van Winkle. Irving was a renowned man of […]
