I Spy

[watervole]

 Oswin likes playing I Spy.

The rules are somewhat flexible at her age.  We don't ask her to set questions (her spelling probably be way out on some words).

We generally operate on the principle that any answer she gives beginning with the correct letter is the 'right' answer.  However, the item does have to be visible.  She's not allowed to say 'cat' for 'C' unless there is a cat in sight, etc.

Most of her guesses are relatively simple items, though she's pretty good on her sounds and generally gets the first letter correct.  (we try to think of reasonably simple clues and ones where the sound is clear)

Yesterday, though, we had to laugh.

Granny: "I spy with my little eye, something beginning with 'P'"  (I was thinking of 'plant')
Oswin, looking out of the window" "Pulmonaria".

She was right!

Here's what she was looking at:

Apparently, it's also known as lungwort, but 'Pulmonaria' is the Latin name and that's the name Molly taught me, and I in turn taught Oswin...

Comments

[ranunculus]

That's great!!

[watervole]

I pity her teachers when she starts school. She's the descendent of gamers and gardeners. She can already add 2D6 and knows a fair range of plants and birds.

I'm sure they'll find lots of other stuff that she doesn't know, but I am reminded of one of her parents who as a little girl was told off for telling her teacher that a baby rabbit was called a kitten, not a leveret.

Teacher was wrong - it's baby hares that are called leverets.

[aralias]

this is fantastic. well done, oswin!

[coth]

Well done Oswin!

And Judith.

[igenlode]

She should have a head start on her Latin, then!
('Lungwort' being a pretty straight translation of 'Pulmonaria' so far as I can see...)

[watervole]

Your Latin is better than mine! I shall remember that one.

Apparently you can use it to treat coughs.

"The tea or infusion made from the herb is used very effectively for diarrhoea, haemorrhoids, and especially respiratory problems, coughs, and hoarseness (hence its folk name) and it also has mildly diuretic properties.

To relieve coughing, sip up to three cups of the tea throughout the day. This tea may be made by soaking up to 2 teaspoons of dried lungwort in about 350 mls of boiled water for up to 15 minutes and then strain."

[igenlode]

It works in reverse, really -- I know 'pulmonary' as an adjective in English for lungs, so while I don't know the original Latin I can make the connection!

I'm a bit sceptical that the same remedy could be applicable to coughs *and* haemorrhoids; presumably the topical effect is very different from that when taken internally...