Molly and Pim and the Millions of Stars (19 page)

AMARANTH

Mama collects amaranth whenever she sees it growing. It has another name, which I
like better. Love lies bleeding. Sounds like a poem about lost love. But it's only
a very nutritious weed. Mama steams it and serves it with olive oil and lemon juice
for dinner, which is ok, but the Aztecs used to mix the seeds with cactus juice,
honey and even sometimes human blood and then offer it to the Gods. Women used to
use the red flowers to make rouge for their cheeks and dance around the fire.

POMEGRANATE

Pomegranates are not my favourite fruit. If I had a choice, I would prefer a mango.
According to one tradition each pomegranate contains 613 seeds, the exact number
of good deeds a person should do in their life.

THE GENTLEMAN

Why does the Gentleman shout cock a doodle doo at dawn? Apparently because he is
a male and wants to let any other roosters know that if they try anything, like taking
one of his hens or coming into his coop, he is up for a fight. In this way he is
a bit like Ernest Grimshaw. It's a shame they didn't get to know each other.

CASTOR OIL PLANT

I have drawn Prudence Grimshaw as a castor oil plant, because it is a thin plant
like she is. If you have ever tasted castor oil, you will never want to do it again,
and if you have had anything to do with Prudence Grimshaw, you will probably never
want to again. However, castor oil is very good for repelling moles from your garden,
if you happen to have moles in your garden. If you are old, rub it on your wrinkles.
Apparently, it works wonders.

MANDRAKE

I have drawn Ernest Grimshaw as a mandrake, because mandrake is bulbous and dark
and menacing. According to legend, when the mandrake root is dug up it screams and
kills all who hear it. And here is an old and nasty magic recipe.

Take a mandrake root out of the ground on full moon. Cut off the ends of the root
and bury it at night in a church yard in a dead man's grave. For 30 days water it
with cow's milk in which three bats have been drowned. When the 31st day arrives,
take out the root in the middle of the night and dry it in an oven heated with branches
of verbena, then carry it with you everywhere to work your magic.

ACORN

I love acorns. I have always loved them. Because they wear hats. No other seeds that
I know of wear hats. People used to keep acorns in their pockets for good luck, for
a long life and to ward off loneliness. It is said that an acorn on your windowsill
will prevent lightning strikes. Ellen and I play this game of fortune telling. You
can try it too. Take some acorn hats. Name one for you and one for your sweetheart,
if you have one (which we don't but we make up names just in case). Float them in
a bucket of water. If they float together it all looks good for your future but if
they drift apart, well…it may not last.

BORAGE

Borage is a herb of gladness. Watch how the bees love it. Plus it has merry little
blue flowers, which I eat. If Ellen was a plant she would be borage, because the
flowers almost sing. It is said that if you steep borage in wine, it will drive away
all sadness, but that may depend how deep the sadness lies.

LEMON BALM TEA

When you have a shock—if your mama turns into a tree, for example—have a cup of lemon
balm tea. You can mix it with liquorice and ginger. Lemon balm is also good for your
immune system. So if you get a cold, drink it up.

LAVENDER

Lavender and I get along quite well. I like its colour and its smell. Last summer
I picked it and mixed it with rice to make scented eye pillows. In ancient times,
washer women, called lavenders, dried clothes by spreading them on lavender bushes.
Great idea. I intend to dry all my clothes this way and waft lavender smells wherever
I go. Lavender repells insects and soothes bites (try rubbing the oil on your mosquito
bites).

SOW THISTLE

Sow thistle is a very common weed. According to medieval legend, cows like to eat
it to help milk production. Aborigines were very fond of it, as were hungry explorers,
which is what I may end up becoming. So it's a useful plant to know, wherever you
are in the world, just in case you are hungry and have run out of chocolate-and-cashew
balls.

BIRD SONG