February, March, April/Autumn in the southern hemisphere

[Maggi Young]

Glad to see more "sunny" pix form Fermi. Cold and damp here again.

Lesley, I think some of the more northern southern Nzers may lurk a little.  As with those who only lurk here, to whatever degree, I too wish they would come out and share.  My hope is that eventually we will prod them hard enough to put finger to keyboard!

[Lesley Cox]

Thanks Fermi, Z. tubispathus is OK for MAF. So we'll swap it with the white (pale green) Sorbus.

[Lesley Cox]

Three years ago I was horrified to find a smallish plant of blackberry in a part of the garden which was a bit neglected. There were a few ripening fruit so I decided to harvest them, then heave the plant out. That didn't happen and the following year there was a much bigger plant and even more luscious fruit so I thought "I'll just harvest those, then get rid of the plant." Last year the plant was huge with a whopping crop of fruit. I made blackberry jam, b and apple jelly, b pies and we ate handsful every time we went outside. But once the fruit was harvested, I was definitely going to get it out.

This year (now) I have already taken 5 kilos of fruit and haven't even started yet. I've never seen such a huge crop anywhere. When I go to pick them, the dog comes too and sort of mouths them off the branches, slobbering red drool all down his white front. When I reach a particularly succulent branch, the fruit is all covered with dog saliva so I have to be a bit careful what I take. And he has a major advantage as he doesn't seem to mind the prickles whereas they savage me! The berries have that wonderful autumny taste and scent, slightly lipsticky when fully ripe and like nothing else on earth.

But that's all right for now. When I've finished the harvest, I'm definitely going to get the whole thicket out, though it may take heavy machinery to achieve this.

[David Nicholson]

Lesley, blackberry and apple pie,mmmmmm! A virtual one please to keep me going until September when ours are ready.

[Maggi Young]

David, I forgot to tell you, my sister and her husband went to meet Lesley last weekend at the Market and they saw your ACTUAL cake.. complete with walnuts... I'm told it looked absolutey scrumptious in real life, and Ann and Bill know a goodlooking cake when they see one, I assure you!

[Lesley Cox]

What am I? Someone's ruddy cook?

Sorry David, it's just that my hands and ankles are ripped to shreds at present and stinging quite a lot. I pick the fruit every 2 or 3 days, so at the weekend I'll get onto it. I suppose you'll want a jug of cream as well?

They saw just part of it Maggi, the quarter I'd taken for Susan or I'd have offered them a slice. But yes, it did look quite good.

David, I'll bet yours aren't in the middle of your rock garden!

[Maggi Young]

What am I? Someone's ruddy cook?

 No, no, Lesley, my sweet, you are our official tubby cook!

[David Nicholson]

David, I forgot to tell you, my sister and her husband went to meet Lesley last weekend at the Market and they saw your ACTUAL cake.. complete with walnuts... I'm told it looked absolutey scrumptious in real life, and Ann and Bill know a goodlooking cake when they see one, I assure you!

A virtual slice each would have been nice and you can have my walnuts Maggi

[David Nicholson]

What am I? Someone's ruddy cook?

Sorry David, it's just that my hands and ankles are ripped to shreds at present and stinging quite a lot. I pick the fruit every 2 or 3 days, so at the weekend I'll get onto it. I suppose you'll want a jug of cream as well?

They saw just part of it Maggi, the quarter I'd taken for Susan or I'd have offered them a slice. But yes, it did look quite good.

David, I'll bet yours aren't in the middle of your rock garden!

Lesley, were I there I would of course minister to your every first aid need, and , if you are insisting a jug of cream would go very nicely. My blackberries aren't in my rock garden but are on the banking of the main railway line from Cornwall to London Paddington, built by one IK Brunel, one of whose viaducts, backed by woods, overlooks the estate I live on. A ten minute walk from home and across a bridge at the commencement of the viaduct takes me straight on to the lower slopes of Dartmoor. One of these days it might even be dry long enough to take a walk!! I would have said svelt cook!

[Maggi Young]

David N.

you can have my walnuts Maggi

I would have said svelt cook!

Lesley, this man is a silver tongued devil, we should keep him!

[SueG]

Lesley, when you get tired of Blackberry and apple pie/turnover/fool/jam why not try your own Blackberry vodka to help while away those long winter evenings.
I made some this year with a surplus I collected off the railway line at the bottom of my garden and it's just about ready to drink - I think i'll be able to use it like cassis (made some of that too this year when a friend's blackcurrant bushes were loaded with fruit).
Here's to happy drinking!
Sue
PS drinking alone is not good, so the garden is always open

[David Nicholson]

Are virtual drinks on offer as well Sue, if so put me down for a few please.

[Lesley Cox]

I would have said svelt cook!

What a lovely man you are David - and what a liar! But the comment is treasured all the same because it's the first I ever had with that particular word mentioned. Silver-tongued indeed Maggi, and certainly one of my favourite Forumists.

I like the idea of blackberry vodka. How about gin too? So long as one doesn't get the virtual hangover as well.

[Lesley Cox]

And blackberry can even be a life saver. There was an item on our telly a week ago about a young man, very experienced sky diver, who leapt from the aeroplane at around 9000 metres and his parachute didn't open properly. He continued to free fall for a few thousand metres trying to manoeuvre the tangled cords into a position where they wouldn't catch the emergency chute when he opened that, but couldn't and eventually pulled the cord on the emergency one but it DID get tangled and wouldn't open either so the free fall continued to earth where, by great good fortune, he fell into a thicket of blackberry. The bounciness of the stiffly arching branches quite literally cushioned his fall and he wasn't even unconscious, just badly scratched and bruised and I think had a broken arm or something. He was wearing a helmet of course and had missed falling on a tree stump by just a few centimetres. How lucky was that. He was looking forward to his next dive!

[David Nicholson]

I bet he was berry glad that he fell in the thicket