Hello, and welcome to Marie's Page

I know that I am not alone in rejoicing about the glimpse of sunshine today, as it has been such a long wet dreary summer here in the UK. Let's hope it lasts!
Having felt we are doomed to another year of zero summer, I recalled what my grandmother believed about the legend of St. Swithin, and not being able to remember when this day is, I looked it up on google.

The legend is based on the rain that fell when St. Swithin's remains, which were originally buried outdoors at his request, were remov… Continue

There are many adhesives on the market, which claim to stick all kinds of surfaces together, permanently. They are all intoxicating substances, which must be handled with care and respect.

Spirit Bond is a new type of intoxicating adhesive. It is fun to use, and it is so difficult to make a mistake in application, everyone can splash it about liberally, and just see where it ends up.

Spirit Bond works by penetrating thoroughly, getting right down beneath the exterior surfaces, ac… Continue

It was back in the eighties, when two ugly warts appeared without warning on the back of my left hand. Why, I don't know. Nobody in the family had ever had a wart. I had never really taken any notice of their existence before, and suddenly, there they were, a proper eyesore, not painful, but catchy and irritating.
I got up this particular morning, and just sat in the chair, gazing into space like you do, waiting for the urge to do the housework, and then just reached for a pair of sharp nail sci… Continue

There is another herb that is worth knowing about for healing cuts and wounds, which I learned from my mother, which I have used myself for many years. It is a very common garden 'weed', which infests lawns.
On occasions we all cut our fingers on kitchen knives, or children fall and cut their knees. It is a fact of life, but when we have a plantain leaf to hand, we can easily heal these wounds, without the need for stitches. It is a good idea to dry a few for winter.

Place a leaf in boiling wat… Continue

Has anyone ever tried Comfrey (common name knitbone) for healing broken bones? I have used it twice to amazing effect, but when I shattered my ankle three years ago, unfortunately had to go through the slow plaster cast process.

The first incident of its fast healing properties happened when a friend of mind dropped the largest available stone dog bowl on her foot. She phoned me and I went over to find the bridge horribly swollen, and she cried, because she was in terrible pain, and would not b… Continue