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Colds, Coughs and Why Mums know best.

Did anyone else’s Mum make them sit outside in the sun on the grass when they were sick as a kid and read a book?

When we were sick and the was sun in the sky, she would bundle us outside on a blanket and some pillows to lie in the sun to read a book. She said the sunshine, fresh air and the natural world would make us feel better.

And it did. Having a runny nose and being able to blow it outside and then have that wonderful hit of fresh clean air in your lungs made it, somehow, easier to breathe. And if you did sneeze on the lawn it landed on the grass. It wasn’t the end of the world.

And quite possibly, just a day relaxing reading your book, sipping on lots of fluids all day, was a healer in itself. But I truely believe that being outside made a difference as well.

As I got older and sillier (I know you are meant to get wiser, but you know when you first move out and you know EVERYTHING! Teenagers and early 20s people are not meant to be SMART people), and possibly a little lazier cause I didn’t have my mum to look after me when I was sick, I used to lie in bed when Colds and flus invaded my body. And all I can remember about those days was the bed would smell yuck. The sheets, the pillows and the quilt all had that sick smell about them. And I think that prolonged my illnesses. And gave myself more housework to do as well.

As I got a little older, I finally got wiser. And definitely less lazier. It may have come from the fact that I now had children of my own. And all of a sudden all these crazy things your mum used to do for you, made sense. And I do them for my kids now. And thankfully myself as well.

This weekend I have caught a cold. I am coughing and sniffing. My hankies, that I never usually carry, are pilled up high in my pockets. I smell of Vicks and my travel coffee cup which is usually filled with rich dark coffee happy smells, is filled to the top with warm with tea. And I am sucking on those cough lollies like there is no tomorrow. My voice, the boys on the farm say, sounds like someone who has smoked for 40 years. ( Just pointing our I have never smoked at all. )

But by going outside, and in the sun, sitting on the grass, sipping my tea, working on my iPad, and even driving my tractor around I am feeling a lot better than I know I would if I lay down in bed and sweated all the yuck into my sheets.

The fresh air is divine. The smell of the freshly cut grass is intoxicatingly wonderful as it over powers the Vicks. The warmth of the sun is making me warm inside and out.

I have a chicken soup on at home in the slow cooker which is going to be amazing! I mean my taste bugs are a little bland at the moment so I might add some extra chilli as well, but I am really looking forward to dinner time. Chicken soup is always a winner when you have a cold. This is my fav winter cold soup recipe.

In the mean time I will use the sun to make me feel warmer. And sitting doing my work today and using my version of a Table made of a Pallet for my work is a brighter and fresher way to spend my day. I think I am feeling better already. And I will use the grass as my chair and feel its comforting leaves help me on my way to recovery.

My Mum really did know best. When the winter coughs and colds come around, take a blanket, or a chair and perch yourself up on your lawn, preferably a Coastal Turf lawn because it will be so soft and comforting (and that is what you need when you are sick. Lots of Comfort) , and breathe the fresh air, open up your lungs again and let your smile return to your face!