Beneath a glorious late summer sun, perched high in the sky, my kind and unassuming husband and I attended the naming ceremony of a very special child.

     It was the first time we had ever been to such a ceremony but I had heard it was popular around the world. It is considered sacred in Hindu tradition and known as Namakarana Sanskar or Namkaran  and attended by close relatives and friends and carried out on the 11^th day after the birth.     

      The paternal aunt has the honor of naming her brothers child in Maharashtra, Bengal, and Rajputs of Gujarat. However, in Kerala, on the 27^th day for a baby girl and 28^th day for a boy, a gold chain called an aranjanam, and a black thread are tied around their waist. A black spot is placed on one cheek and on the forehead, to ward off evil eyes. Then a mixture of honey and melted and clarified butter is given to the child as a base for future foods.

     But back in the garden where our naming ceremony took place, everyone was asked to place a wish for the child’s future, into a box. Some wished that the child would travel far and wide and others that her life be filled with music. Some wished that she would be blessed with a love of books and a curious and imaginative mind. All in all it was quite an emotional day, which involved a huge picnic and ended in the evening with people sitting in a circle around a fire, playing guitars and singing.

     The box of wishes was eventually closed and would remain so, until the child’s 18^th birthday. And along with the wishes, was a poem by Dorothy Law Nolte which her parents read out aloud....

If children live with criticism
they learn to condemn.
If children live with hostility
they learn to fight.
If children live with ridicule
they learn to be shy.
If children live with shame
they learn to feel guilty.

If children live with tolerance
they learn to be patient.
If children live with encouragement
they learn confidence.
If children live with praise
they learn to appreciate.
If children live with fairness
they learn justice.
If children live with security
they learn to have faith.
If children live with approval
they learn to like themselves.
If children live with acceptance and friendship
they learn to find love in the world.

‘I’m coming to get you,’ said the spider to the bee.

     ‘Huh! Don’t make me laugh,’ the bee replied.

     ‘I don’t want to make you laugh,’ said the spider to the bee. ‘I want to make you cry.’

      ‘Why on earth do you want to make me cry?’ said the bee. ‘What have I ever done to hurt you?

       ‘Hmm,’ said the spider, which was really quite small. A lot smaller than the bee! ‘Come to think of it, I really can’t remember why I want to make you cry.’

       ‘Well come on up here and let’s be friends,’ said the bee, trying hard not to laugh. So the spider crept ever so slowly up the stem. Oh I wish I could remember why I wanted to make the bee cry, thought the spider, but he had forgotten.

        ‘Can you remember now?’ said the bee, as the spider was almost at the top of the stem.

         The spider looked into the eyes of the bee and gasped.  

         ‘I..I..remember now,’ cried the spider. ‘You tried to sting me earlier but I escaped!’

          ‘Well you can’t escape me now!’ the bee said loudly. ‘I’m coming to get YOU!’

          The spider’s heart raced wildly as he tumbled down the stem. But the bee just sat on the flower and laughed.

           ‘That will teach you not to look for trouble,’ said the bee, and he turned and flew the other way.

Palomena Prasina sat on her leaf sucking sap and sulking.

     ‘What’s up with you?’ asked her mother.

     ‘I hate school!’ said Palomena without looking up.

     Her mother, who was basking in the sun before hibernation time came, turned and looked at her eldest child. It caused a big ache in her stomach to see her so sad.

      ‘Has anyone upset you in school’ she said gently and crawled over the leaf until she was right in front of Palomena. Palomena shook her head.

       ‘Yes they have!’ shouted a spider as he wondered by. ‘I heard the beetles call her Stinky bug today!’

       ‘Stinky bug! Stinky bug!’ cried the young wingless nymphs that gathered around their sister.

       ‘Please be quiet children,’ said their mother. ‘Is this true Palomena?’

       Palomena looked up at her mother and nodded sadly. ‘Do I stink?’ she asked. Her mother didn’t want to lie to her child so she told the truth.

       ‘Everyone has a special smell,’ she said. ‘If we are upset, just like you were at school, then you react with a stronger smell. It’s a sort of protection us bugs have! It shows we have feelings!’

       ‘But I don’t want to smell,’ said Palomena, ‘no-one will like me if I smell!’

       The young nymphs gathered around their big sister. They had never seen her so upset before.

        ‘Don’t be afraid of the beetles and you won’t stink,’ said one little nymph. Palomena smiled at her little brother who was alwyas so wise.

        ‘The smell is a part of who we are,’ said the little nymph, ‘we cannot change that but we can try to control it.’

        Palomena crawled over to her brother and touched him gently with her nose. ‘You are such a wise young nymph,’ she said, ‘I shall ignore the beetles in future and get on with my school work.’

        And that is what Palomena Prasina did. She went to school the next day and when the beetles called her names, she ignored them. This went on for many days until the beetles suddenly stopped Palomena on the way home from school and asked her to be their friend.

         ‘Even though I stink?’ said Palomena.

          ‘Because, you stink,’ said a big black beetle.

Dan Anthony, the author of the popular Rugby Zombies trilogy, by Pont Books, gave an entertaining talk this evening at the Swansea & District Writer’s Circle. He gave us ten minutes to write a short script with the most hilarious results!

     Dan has worked as a scriptwriter on CBBC’s Story of Tracy Beaker and S4C’s The Baaas, but he has also written and directed endless radio programmes for BBC Radio Wales. His books for children have proved extremely popular, with Steve’s Dreams being my favourite and published by Firefly Press.

     Having arrived home after meeting Dan Anthony, I think tomorrow will see the start of my first script for children. But before that, I shall take his advice and watch the dark comedy ‘A Serious Man’ written by the Coen brothers. Nothing ventured, nothing gained! Thank you Dan Anthony for a brilliant talk!

Senecio Jacobaea has very few friends, despite her beautiful head of yellow flowers. The problem is in her common name, Ragwort, which paints a picture of a raggy person covered in warts, usually poisonous! But Senecio Jacobaea is not a person; she’s a bright wild flower with the potential to kill or at least, cause sickness, pain and suffering!

     But please don’t write her off just yet. You see, due to her good supply of nectar and pollen, she is loved by many! Her fan following consists of insects, flies, bees and butterflies. So taking away Senecio and you take away this romantic liaison between 150 wild species.   So this is not a desirable option! But to many people, getting rid of her is the only option! Especially people that keep horses!

      Ragwort is poisonous to horses and quite often, there are no symptoms until it’s too late. The horse will stop eating and lose weight quickly. They will become sensitive to the sun and lose co-ordination.  Quite often they lose their sight and eventually struggle to breathe. This is liver failure in a horse.

      So what makes this plant a killer? Well it contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids compounds (but so do 1/3^rd of all plants) that are poisonous to most animals. Once in the intestines, it’s broken down by the liver. It’s the liver cell damage that kills the poor animals that eats Senecio Jacobaea when no other food is available.

       It is a sorry tale for many, but one that could have a happy ending if you avoid the Jekyll and Hyde plant.