Marsh Mallow

Damp, grey and drizzly then the sun suddenly burst forth for a couple of hours but it's gone again now. I stopped off at a strand on my way home, partly to clear my head before my private pupil, and partly because it was low tide and the pebbly beach was flanked by a beautiful array of wild flowers -pink sea campion, a little white creeping thing, escaped yellow rape and lots of this vibrant mallow. Apparently the flower is edible and you can even use the large leaves like vine leaves in dolmades. And this is the plant that marshmallow originated from - a quick recipe should you be tempted - boil the root in water, add sugar and whip then allow to cool and dry on waxed paper. Hmmm.

My private pupil, aged 9, had the most monumental amount of homework (not from my school I should quickly add) - a large page of division; 12 spellings; reading; the construction of a food chain and - the piece de resistance - 10 questions about the American War of Independence. He looked a bit forlorn at this prospect as he'd missed the lesson (!!) and had no information. Thank god for google.
That's me done for the week :)