Great Mullein: Coinnle Muire

Popping up all over the place in the garden, they seed themselves. They can get up to 2m tall and have bright yellow florets, this one bending in the constant mizzle of today. The leaves are large flat, grey and furry.  It's very good for asthma and other respiratory illnesses including bronchitis and TB. It was smoked in a pipe, and inhaled and today is often made into a tea. Ladybirds like to spend the winter in the seedheads.

It's Bank holiday weekend here and the weather is turning out to be typical - ie seriously wet :( It's also the Ahakista festival, resurrected after a few years due to Covid, and lots of events are planned, all outdoors. So disappointing for the organisers who have worked so hard. One event that is under cover - two mega marquees in fact - is The Quiz, with Graham Norton as question master. As I write, crowds will be gathering at the pub, flocking to be selfied with him and then getting more and more oiled as the evening progresses! I have been three times I think - gosh the last time in 2015 , and the evening is a riot but last time we were jammed in like sardines and it was so loud and the raffle went on forever! Mr N does an excellent job as you can imagine, knowing exactly ow far he can go! We shall probably hear the questions from here shortly!