I have been struck down by la febbre, so there was no posting here yesterday. La febbre in Sicily describes anything from the merest hint of a cold to full-blown 'flu and I rather think I have got the latter.
If you live in Sicily and haven't caught la febbre at this time of year, you are probably suffering from the cervicale instead. This is arthritis of the neck and both conditions are blamed upon seasonal humidity. In my opinion much suffering could be avoided if Sicilians would only put the heating on in their houses but most prefer to sit around at home in jackets and woolly hats. Cold, it seems, is something to be endured with pazienza rather than combatted.
As for what to do about la febbre, it is believed here that you should sweat it out and I felt like one of Grazia's loaves as I lay under my blankets this morning. There are many folk remedies, too and one of these is to cut off some of the hairy leaves of the tasso barbasso [verbascum] plant with your left hand whilst making the sign of the cross in the air with your left foot. While you are coordinating your movements and attempting to keep your balance, you must also utter a dialect incantation to make the fever leave you.
Hmm - it's back under the blankets for me!
7 comments:
Take Care Pat ad hope you feel better soon, there is a lot of it about around here as well. :(
I hope you feel better soon! I too have been feeling under the weather as our weather gets colder and damper. :( take care.
My mother would give us a dose of hot brandy with some lemon and honey. It would work. But I've never been able to replicate the miracle! Stay safely under the blankets. Take care, friend!
Take care and get well very soon Pat. I know where I would be ... Under the blankets ... and resting, xx
Try homemade chicken soup or Knorr packet soup ... has to be chicken apparently.
I hope you are feeling better soon :-)
Under the blankets sounds a much better way to recuperate than the wiggling and the waggling of feet etc.
Thanks Nerys and I hope you feel better soon, too. Thanks, LindyLouMac. Thanks, Lucia. Hope you feel better soon. Hi, Claude. Sounds an excellent remedy to me|
Hi, Anne. Red onion soup also works so I might make myself some of that. Thanks. Thanks, Cherie. I agree!
Post a Comment