'The north wind doth blow, and we shall have snow...'
These last days have been blustery, and so I've been thinking about the wind. But before I go there, a quick word about nursery rhymes.
Small children, as we know, are able to understand what we say far earlier than they begin to speak. It's particularly lovely and helpful for them to hear nursery rhymes as an introduction to more sophisticated language. Think, the rhythm, the rhyme, the sense and even the non-sense! I remember Benjie at around the age of twelve coming across a small child when we were staying in Italy years ago, and how delighted he was that the boy was reciting the old rhymes he himself knew from childhood.
And so, to the wind. Obviously, babies need to be protected, and especially from cold winds. But also, from the east wind. During our farm days we dreaded the rare occasions when the wind was blowing from the 'oos' because we knew that would be damaging for the crops. These days, our sons don't kiteboard on an east wind because it's too gusty.
Dr. Michaela Glockner, in her very helpful 'Guide to Child Health' points out that exposure to an east wind can bring on an attack of croup. Be warned.
Still, it's nice to think that each wind has its own particular characteristics. The title of this post came to me when I remembered Lyall Watson, someone we were friendly with before he wrote 'Supernature' and shot to fame. He has a book about the natural history of the wind called 'Heaven's Breath'. I thought that was beautiful, and true.
