Manuka Honey

Marvelous manuka honey.

Let me start this post by explaining that I consider myself a pragmatist, and a Science/ Geography-based artist.  Capital S, capital G and small a.

eg Vitamins and astronomy - yes; homeopathy and the existence of a deity - maybe; crystals and astrology - no. 

All honey reflects the characteristics of the nectar source.  Clover honey, with which we are most familiar, is hard, white and mild.  In New Zealand we have many native plant sources that can provide distinctive honeys.  For example, I love to use the strong, sharp rewarewa honey in my home-made museli, but it's too strong on toast for most people.  Recently a number of people were admitted to hospital after eating honey that was made from nectar from the poisonous tutu flowers.  

Some 17 years ago I was fascinated to hear of research being carried out in New Zealand on the medical benefits of honey, specifically manuka honey. At the time, I mentioned it to my Mum and she said that before and even after the discovery of antibiotics, nurses like her were using honey in hospitals for wounds.  

I should mention that all honey produces peroxide gas when applied to wounds.  This is very good at killing infection, reducing swelling and aiding healing, and has been used for at least two thousand years.  

But New Zealand manuka (Leptospermum scoparium) honey has been found to also contain at least one other substance that adds to this effectiveness.

Now, after clinical trials and world publicity, it has been proven that a wide range of bacteria, including the hospital nasties like Streptobacillus species, Staphylococcus aureus and Clostridium species (that can cause gangrene) are killed by manuka honey.  And, what's more, at low concentrations, ie even when it is diluted by lymph.  Helicobacter pylori, associated with gastric ulcers, is also effectively treated by manuka honey (just have a teaspoon before beginning each meal).  

Conveniently, honey, applied under dressings which need to be changed no more often than eight hourly, prevents wounds from drying out and sticking to the dressing, and the method of honey's antibacterial action can never lead to bacterial resistance, a problem with modern antibiotics.  

I can also highly recommend treating eye infections or minor scratches (skin or eyes) with manuka honey.  Great for pets too.

Dr Peter Molan of the University of Waikato has discovered that although there is some variation in efficiency between one batch of manuka honey and another, heating the honey does not affect its antibacterial properties.

But there is another, fascinating aspect of the story.  The extra substances I mentioned, that make manuka honey especially effective over other honeys, have not all been identified yet. But it is possible that they have an unusual source.  

You see, manuka shrubs were considered a bit of a nuisance when the first settlers came to NZ and wanted to clear the native cover off the land and replace it with pasture and crops.  A scale insect was imported from Australia and it spread quickly through NZ, and even now, all but very young manuka shrubs have the insect sucking away on stems and trunks.  Now, the insect secretes a sticky sweet honeydew, much like aphids, and this dew in turn is harvested by wasps and bees.  However it also encourages the growth of a black sooty mold (which gives manuka a characteristic fire-burnt look - you can see this in my photo which I took on the south Island road between Waiau and the coast).  I suspect that the bees cannot help but pick up some mold when they collect honeydew and nectar from manuka, and maybe this is the source of the special antibacterial factors in manuka honey.

  

If you want to read about all the clinical trials and research you can go here  and click on the "Manuka Honey as a Medicine" pdf file.

Of course, you can always just enjoy it on toast!

Added 14 October: Update soon.  See here.

Just Do It

Sometimes you just have to go ahead.  There are always things that won't be perfect, but if you focus on the bits that are great, you can have a great time.

That last sentence sounds a bit sad really, but it isn't meant to be.  Sort of a reverse "Fox and Grapes" ... rather than not getting something and saying 'it wouldn't have been any good anyway', best to go for it/ do it/take a risk, and then you can say 'there were some great bits!'  Or at least 'I got exercise jumping up at grapes that were too high for me'...

 Our Long Road Trip Down to Dunedin and Back:

It was cold, but a car is a small, efficient space to heat.  And it was apparently really cold at home anyway.  

Bad weather made it seem even more marvelous when the sun did shine for us.

Taking the wrong road once or twice meant I saw things I would have otherwise missed.

Windy places make the trees grow into interesting artistic shapes.

Big swells out to sea made the Kaikoura coast wonderfully wild and dramatic.

Rain and sun make great rainbows.

Yes the cat had gone missing, but he wouldn't have turned up had we stayed anyway.

We were so lucky because the desert road was closed the day before and the day after - it felt like it opened just for us.

We were able to spend an extra day with Wellington cousins because the bad weather meant the ferries weren't crossing Cook Strait.

In Blenheim I learnt how to prune grapevines and discovered a lovely beach during the day's delay waiting for the ferries to run again on my way back.

H. has the best shower in the world!  And if we hadn't been sleeping in the chilly homestead-in-the-middle-of-renovations we wouldn't have appreciated it half as much.

The scenery was lovely, the backdrop of snowy mountains a novelty, and I took loads of photos, and got to know my new camera at the same time.  Now I have enough material to keep me painting for 10 years.

N was only a little bit sick on the ferry.

Driving long distances meant we were often still on the road at dusk and meant we saw a seal... and some wonderful sunsets.

Shelly the dog learnt to wee on command on the side of the road.  We made people smile as a result.

I discovered the old, pretty, honey-coloured Oamaru stone buildings.

We helped J move in to his lovely flat.

We went to the Tropical Butterfly Exhibition in the Dunedin Museum and warmed ourselves up.

We met a lovely sympathetic doctor when we needed antibiotics for chest infection and medicine for asthma.

We had a super time with Ellyn in her new fine villa, and a lovely evening, and morning feeding out to the stock with Wendy.  

The brake pads didn't get down to bare metal until after the steep bit over the Rumatukas was over.  And the tiny service station in Greytown only took two hours instead of a day to replace them, as they had another pair in stock.  While they were being done I ate one of Greytown's home-made pies.  It was jolly good.

It was great to spend the night with my sister and her family,  and morning tea with Dad and G. going the long way home, and besides the desert road was closed again anyway.

N was able to practice flatting although it wasn't in the plan that she be flown home before I got back.

It was very special to see the expression on T's face and hear him say "Great to see you home, Babe".

Goodbye Pippin

From left to right; Shelly, Mikey and Pippin.

Shelly, 8 years old, (Pekinese/ Japanese spaniel cross) nutty, affectionate and clingy.  She yodels like a basenji when she gets excited, which is most evenings just before tea.  Tries to bury dog biscuits in bare corners of the room or under cushions.  Has wrecked the cat-flap door by going out it too fast.  Loves to tear newspapers to shreds.  Will eat any food if you offer it with 'yum yum' noises and then threaten to take it away from her. Even raw onions.  Life is never dull around Shelly.  

Mikey, now buried under the lemon tree.  The polite old grey man with a quiet voice who always waited until you have finished talking before he commented, and wouldn't dream of jumping on your lap unless invited, but always very appreciative if you did.   We miss him. 

The kids found Pippin as a kitten close to death up a tree in the park, and he ate enormously and with enthusiasm from then on.  People commented on his enormous size and the huge size of the rats he caught.  He disappeared two days before we went on our recent trip to the South Island.  Had been taught to say "Mama" by my son who has just finished a degree in animal behaviour.   Loved to hide in plastic bags, and was sometimes seen licking Shelly like a mother licks her kittens.  Chased string and sticks like a kitten.  Socially a little backward. Hung around the fridge.  Today I bumped into a neighbour who said his body was left under our letterbox while we were away.  Must have been run over.  Thanks to the person who buried him.  At least we know he won't be coming back, and can feel our sadness properly.    

All three dear to our hearts and part of the family.  

The Question

I am vacillating about our trip down south to Dunedin tomorrow.  To go or not to go, that is the question.

For:  

1. It's a lovely long way and I have now a new camera, and will be coming back slowly, taking photos that I will use for paintings. 

2.  It's been about 30 years since I've been in Christchurch where I did my degree, and knew and loved it very much.

3.  I love driving and seeing New Zealand, and we will be covering about 1300 km (one way) of beautiful scenery.

4.  N. is off to university next year, this might be one of the last holidays we have together.

5.  J. has loads more stuff than will fit on a 747.  

6.  I'm looking forward to seeing Ellyn and her new house.

7.  J. has to be down by the 2nd July to enroll for his post grad thingy anyway.  So will have to be flown down if we don't go.

8.  N. is staying with her Dad from the 4th so will have to be flown down if we don't go.

9.  I haven't had a holiday for years (see our big O.E blog) and can be away 10 or 11 days.

Against:

1. I still have the ends of the flu bug.

2.  J. has a sore throat.

3.  N. has the ends of the flu bug.

4.  It's a long way, and a lot of driving.

5.  Snow is forecast on the Central Plateau for tonight, but is likely to be passable by 9 am tomorrow morning.

6. A quick survey of two friends revealed 100% advising against it.

7.  Pippin our cat has just gone missing.*

8.  Petrol is expensive.

9.  It's really cold down there.

What do you think?  We were going to leave tomorrow at about 6.30 am New Zealand time, so you have until then to tell me.  About 14 hours.  

*I think YP has put a hex on me for posting about my pets (posting removed out of respect for Boris)

P.S.  OK,  I admit I tried to skew the data by not confessing that I actually still have the flu.  My temperature is  up a bit - 37.5ºC , but I feel ok, really I do.  Honestly.

Can't Brain Today

Huge 3 days relieving in difficult classes, feverish daughter (now on the improve), but help, support and kindness from unexpected quarters.  Bed early to read until the book falls out of my hand...That's all folks.  Except maybe this:

The Big Weekend

It was my daughter's school ball, plus youngest son's farewell/birthday party.  Both on Saturday night.  Whew.

My Saturday went something like this:

8.00-10.30.  Finish sewing ball gown (hem by hand, make and sew on shoestring straps)

10.50-12.00.  Clean the house, chop wood and kindling, lay fire, make all beds up for sleepover friends of son.

1.00-3.00.  Make pizzas and baked dish for party.

10.00-5.00.  Comfort daughter, get cross, calm down and cycle through this sequence three times as daughter's friends and two replacements pull out of special ride * arrangements throughout day.

3.30 - 4.30.  Bake and ice the carrot cake for the firefighters.*

4.30 - 5.00.  Curl daughter's hair with curling tongs that I have never used in my life before.

5.00 - 6.30.  Greet youngest son's guests while applying makeup to daughter's face, stopping dog barking at arriving guests, and trying to give oldest son (not seen for a month) quality conversation. 

6.30 - 6.40.  Bucketing down - rain that reduces driving speed to a crawl despite wipers on double time - drive out into country with daughter to pick up her friend.

6.40 - 6.50.  Wait for daughter's friend while she looks for ball ticket.

6.50 - 7.00.  Drive home through pouring rain for daughter to look for her ball ticket.

7.00 - 7.05.  Wait in car while daughter finds her ball ticket.

7.05 - 7.20.  Drive in more torrential rain to fire station.

7.20-7.25.  Drive around looking for fire station's new premises.  Luckily daughter's friend spots it through the rain down a side street.

7.25 - 7.35.  Give carrot cake to fire fighters, take photos of fire fighters with girls, girls in front of fire truck, girls getting into fire truck, girls in fire truck etc.

7.35 - 7.40.  Drive with two fire fighters behind fire truck in more torrential rain to ball venue.  Girls rush into venue, firefighters get into truck and go back to the station.

7.40 - 8.00.  Drive home through torrential rain.

9.00 - 11.00.  Relax at friend's house.  Watch the All Blacks thrash the Lions.

11.00 - 11.15.  Drive back through torrential rain to ball venue.  

11.15 - 11.30.  Wait for the doors to open and the 500 young people to be released from the steamy confines.

11.30 - 11.50.  Drive daughter home through torrential rain.  

11.50 -12.10.  Wait while daughter changes out of ball gown, picks up overnight back, sleeping bag, sleeping pad etc.  Smile at son's guests and try not to look directly at strobe lighting.  Yawn repeatedly.

12.10 - 12 20.   Drive daughter out through torrential rain back into the country for 'after ball party' and overnight stay at friend's house.

12.20 - 12.45.  Drive to my friend's house in torrential rain.

12.50.  Fall into bed.

 

Post Script:  Kids each had fantastic evenings and N won  the 'Best Ride to the Ball' prize.  I cooked up a huge feed of bacon, mushrooms and eggs for the people I found lying around my house next morning, and used up the cream and chocolate failed fondue mixture to make hot chocolates.  (Note - son has learnt that you should warm the cream to the same temperature as the melted chocolate).

Friday Night at the Movies

Most Friday evenings here we have a pot luck tea followed by a movie.  Over the years this has been a lovely way that people have come into our lives.  The local pet shop man had a double whammy - separation and his shop lease coming up for renewal (forcing his sale), so I impulsively asked him over.  I like to think a few hours once a week in another space helped him through a tricky time.  We don't see him so much these days since he met his lovely new lady. 

Other visitors are old friends, yet others become new ones.  At the moment we have a nice group of people I met through the U3A (University of the Third Age).  And of course I get to share my favourite movies with others, and so the evenings are always super for me.  And other people's food is always nice! 

Tonight the room will be cosy, the fire will be blazing, and we're starting the excellent BBC version of "Our Mutual Friend".