Blackberries
Posted: Monday, 08 September 2008 |
Comments
Nice to hear from you Nic.
Carol from IBHQ
What a very entertaining post! I hope the blackberries tasted good after all your efforts, but the antics of dogs and ponies surely kept you amused. I BOUGHT blackberries yesterday in the supermarket...
Jill from EK
Good to hear from you Nic! # Blackberry pies?! If you have to work for them, I am sure they do taste better. We got our blackberries AND blackberry pie from the neighbors, and they were quite good too (their coconut pie and German chocolate cake are not bad either). In extremis, there is blackberry cobbler in the local eating house in English (I plead innocent: I did not name the village). Being without prejudice, I shall confess to attending mass (being Papist) in Frenchtown. # Nic, I assume the wild blackberry bushes were not thornless. I guess it must have been hard to distinguish between the juice of the fruit and the blood which should have rightfully gone to the Red Cross. Are wild blackberries sweet or rather sour?
mjc from IN, USA
And weren't they a lidl expensive too...
Flying Cat from no free brambles hereabouts
all the length of the lane in front of my cabin-bramblebushes line the way up to the point where it meets the main road only i don't pick them:
carol from goodbye blackberryway--
You have free fruits on your doorstep and you don't use them??? You've been living in furrin perts for too long...
Flying Cat from standing back in amazement
Enjoyed the post very much, Nic. I was wondering if the Lewish group had intimidated all the other islanders...Would have loved to see the interaction between the ponies and the dogs. Our neighboring horses always come over when I am playing frisbee or ball with the Border Collie. Enjoy the blackberries!
thelovelyOutlander from dreaming of highlands and islands
Enjoyed the post very much, Nic. I was wondering if the Lewis group had intimidated all the other islanders...Would have loved to see the interaction between the ponies and the dogs. Our neighboring horses always come over when I am playing frisbee or ball with the Border Collie. Enjoy the blackberries!
thelovelyOutlander from dreaming of highlands and islands
I always remember that they were better picked after the first frost, have you had frost yet on Coll? Not many round here due to the poor weather I suppose but then again they thrive on being burnt at the end of the year, or so I'm told. Missed getting over to bike and camp on Coll this year due to a chest infection (in July!) that's what I get for rambling in the Lake District in early Julvember in the rain....no not naked rambling just wet wet wet rambling. Missed my Burger too for my homeward journey, hope you are all well, I thoght the blog had dried up or were you all recovering from the Coll Show?
rambling keckers from Chryston
You could pop over to France, FC. Carol from over that way, has the new owner taken possession yet, or do you have use until your departure for NZ? By the way, Carol, not harvesting blackberries in front of your house should be a criminal offense. Don't tell me you have raspberries and blueberries running wild as well?!!
mjc from IN, USA
MJC:i don't care much for blackberries-no wild raspberries but loads of wild strawberries in the woods behind house in june and july--now i'm stuffing my face with -----GRAPES yup,they're being picked now! xx
carol from still here
Taught shetland ponies to eat blackberries, I think not! In my limited experience the little blighters will try to eat anything from fingers to coat buttons purely on the basis that they might be nutritious. My almost lifelong aversion to equestrian pursuits can be trace back to a nip from a shetland when I was five. Thereafter I decided that boats were inherently safer.
Hyper-Borean from The stable
Is it logical, I ask you...
Flying Cat from what's wrong with bicycles?
The joys of blackberries and even more appealing - homebaked pies. Although one cannot compete with your adventures in order to extract blackberries. A delightful read and look forward to even more along the way.
island poet from Mull
Boats are inherently safer than horses? I assume you mean ocean crossing small sailing boats? So many sailing boats for sale in Papeete, and you did not grab yourself one when you had the opportunity. In my younger days, when I passingly thought that ocean sailing would be fun, I learnt that for various reasons good deals could be had in Tahiti on sail boats. Is that still so? How about yours Barney? Did you acquire it in Polynesia? Personally, I think there is nothing safer than trotting on a Belgian in the country side.
mjc from IN, USA
Fpu says she never thought of that option...
Flying Cat from walking alone like cats do
rambling keckers from Chryston there's a few blackberries along the "black path" beside the new surgery. On Coll there's pretty good pickings at the back of Burnside, shame I didn't get there either this year never imagined I'd be standing in front of folk (lots of them) and publicly addressing them, when in the past it took me all my time to ask for a ginger beer!
Foofoo from Glasgow
Are blackberies the same as brambles? I remember my Granny making jam/jelly from brambles gathered in Coll.
Alsofu from happydaze
Boats are inherently safer mjc. I stand by that statement. Boats are not sentient and therefore incapable of malice or dangerous inquisitiveness. As to cheap boats in Papeete it only serves to prove the old wisdom that the crew will give up before the boat does. I almost bought a Herreshoff 28 in Port Vila which brings us neatly back to Ruth and, "The Road Not Taken.' Are you awake at the back Puddlejumper.
Hyper-Borean from Steerage
Mjc, no, "Beatrice" was purchased in Sweden, much more prosaic. Accordin to my son, who once sailed from the Canaries to the Bahamas, ocean sailing is for the birds, mostly boring and pretty uncomfortable. Which reminds me of Mark twain's assesment of the Horse: "dangerous at both ends and uncomfortable in the midlle". He also wrote: "why spoil a nice walk with a game of golf?" But you probably knew these gems of wisdom already.
Barney from Swithiod late again again