Giving a Fig

A few years ago P planted a new fig tree, to replace a young one that had been blown down in a storm.

This year it has borne fruit for the first time. One reasonably large, plump Brown Turkey fig that he picked for me to have with my lunch today (he is not keen on figs himself).

To my delight it turned out to be absolutely perfect in every way.

I am not sure how long I have to wait for the next one.

(this is just a Google photo - I ate my fig before I could take a photo)

Chips Cheese and Gravy

Last night I had a difficult time getting off to sleep, tossing and turning well into the wee hours and beyond. Countless trivial thoughts endlessly scrolled through my brain and I was unable to switch them off.

One of these was the completely random subject of chips, cheese and gravy. I know not why.

Some while ago there was a local campaign to nominate the Manx National Dish.  The two main contenders were Queenies (the locally caught queen scallops) or chips, cheese and gravy,  a popular pub meal.

Now, I have never tried the latter so it may be utterly delicious. However, it is well beyond the acceptable limits of a low-cholesterol diet.  I have often eaten queenies and really enjoyed them but, as they are usually served with butter and bacon they are also now in the culinary naughty corner.

I understand that chips, cheese and gravy was originally devised in Canada by a chef in a Quebec restaurant.  It was called poutine, meaning a mess.

Thankfully the eventual winner of the campaign was the healthier option and Queenies reigned supreme.

As a side note, it seems that nearly a quarter of the island's reception age children are overweight and 1 in 5 adults are obese. Food for thought.

A Wild One

Woke up this morning to a wet and windy day. Strong 35 mph southwesterlies and standing water everywhere.

I went to the Hear2Help hearing aid drop in service at our local GP surgery first thing to be re-tubed and am now sitting in front of a large pot of freshly brewed coffee.

Off to do a volunteering shift at the gift shop after lunch.

A wild one. That's me.

Weary Wednesday

I went along to the Hospice this morning for my usual Wednesday volunteering shift but by lunchtime I was struggling to keep awake.

I am not sure why I feel so weary today, perhaps all the recent travelling has caught up with me.  I left early and am now just about to doze off on the sofa (at 3 p.m.!)

Wake me up for tea......

A Bid For Freedom

We have had a reasonably good crop of peas so far this summer and have been able to pick a decent bowlful most days for our evening meal.

I usually quite enjoy the process of shelling them and popping the little green juicy peas out of their pods. This afternoon's batch, however, seemed unwilling to cooperate.  The pods were quite tough and it was difficult to pop them open.

Several young peas made a bid for freedom and are now lurking somewhere beneath the washing machine.