Custard Apples: How to win friends and influence people

There are two types of people in the world. People who love custard apples and people who had never heard of them. Those who love custard apples have a problem. You can't easily buy them. I can understand why. They are nobbly and misshapen which must make them hard to box up and transport. They … Continue reading Custard Apples: How to win friends and influence people

Wildlife taketh and the wildlife giveth

Last week I mentioned how excited I was to plant a grape again.  Saturday morning I was doing some unwriting (deleting 700 words from my WIP) and I heard a commotion outside. I thought it was the cockatoos who are a handsome menace.  I went outside to find this: I want to love brush turkeys. … Continue reading Wildlife taketh and the wildlife giveth

Show day or Christmas Day?

My Canadian friend calls this a "cactus de noël' because it flowers at Christmas time. Here in my southern hemisphere, it flowers, like clockwork, for Ipswich Show Day in the middle of May. In fact, the first time I noticed this plant was as a potted plant competitor in the Ipswich Show. I just had to … Continue reading Show day or Christmas Day?

Eggplant or Aubergine?

My best summer crop has been eggplant which I must remember to call aubergine because it is a much cooler word. I remember hearing or reading an interview with Joanne Harris who said the American publisher of Chocolat wanted to replace her use of aubergine with eggplant and she refused because - well aubergine is … Continue reading Eggplant or Aubergine?