Andrea here, Where I live in New England, the weather has been unseasonably chilly, so the unfurling of Spring hasnāt yet burst into full bloom. But the flickers of nascent green and tantalizing hints of color from early flowers in the local gardens give promise that my daily walks will soon be alive with the sights and scents of the natural world cycling into its peak season.
Now, Iām not gardener. Iām too impatient to wait for several years for tiny plants mature into the original vision for the space. And weeding, mulching, deadheading feels like drudgery . . . I am much happier appreciating the work of others!
Which is to say, I very much enjoy gardens for the pure sensory pleasure of seeing the colors and textures, and savoring the scents and sounds of the bees busy at work pollinating. But I also find that I have a special appreciation for āpracticalā gardens, like herb gardens. And my very favorite are physic gardens, which are designed for medicinal purposes.
So in the spirit of celebrating the start here in the Northern hemisphere of gardens come to life, I thought I'd give a quick look at the history of Chelsea Physic Garden, one of Britainās oldest gardens devoted to medicinal plants.
Punches and PugilistsāRandom Fcts on Regency Boxing
Andrea here, offering yet another down-the-rabbit-hole research discovery today. I love research, as part of the fun is discovering things you didnāt know you wanted to know! Now, I am not a bellicose person, so Iām not at all interested in an actual boxing match. But as I needed to know a few specifics about āpugilismā for a WIP scene, I had to research a few basic things.
And voila! Down the rabbit hole! Now, in the spirit of full disclosure, I find the history of just about anything fascinating on an intellectual level, and as I happen to like sports (the other Wenches have dubbed me the āWench Jockā) I actually found myself very interested in the resources I found. One of the most intriguing is āFighting Words," an online exhibit from the Hesburgh Libraries at the University of Notre Dame, from which I have cheerful poached some of the following information.
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