Jewel of springtime
unfolding with rich fragrance
a regal presence
A Lunchtime Find
When it’s cold or wet I tend to stay on campus, or even walk the corridors of the main hospital building for my lunchtime stroll. Today the weather was perfect, so I went through the housing estate, because I knew my secret pathway was looking pretty.
I’m glad I went because the daffs won’t be around much longer. I lingered a few minutes and then it was time to stride out. Next I came across this van,
and just had to investigate. Who remembers the days when the baker, the fishmonger, the milkman, the green grocer and of course the Corona lorry and the ice cream man came?
Now in Exeter, the farm shop comes to some areas.
With lots of lovely local produce.
You’re probably wondering if I was tempted.
Well, as I’m over the baking phase I had in the autumn, because if you make cake you have to eat it don’t you? That’s bad news for a chubba-bubba, so it had to stop. The only thing to do is buy the odd treat or ten, so I chose a brownie which I’ve left in my desk drawer until Friday afternoon, when I’ll need – uh – deserve a treat for surviving the week.
This lovely lady runs the mobile shop. She was a delight to chat to and said Love Local Food is based at West Town Farm, where they have open days for families and schools. Their mission is to produce and promote sustainable food, reduce food miles and to engage with people in the community.
We all like our food to be fresh don’t we? It really does have more flavour if it’s local and in season, rather than being chilled for goodness knows how long, while it’s being flown hallway around the planet. Have a look at Love Local’s pages, there’s even a ted Talk. If you’re near Exeter, watch out for the happy food van!
Wordless Wednesday
Worth the wait?
After nearly ten years, the olive tree has started bearing fruit. Just a few last year, that never grew beyond the size of a currant. This year, they’ve survived the winter and are almost the size of the black olives I like. The birds have had a few pecks of them and spat them on the ground, so I guess they probably taste horrid.
I read somewhere that olives are cured for eating, I’ve no idea what with of how, but I expect they need a whole lot more heat and sun to be enjoyable. Some of you are in olive producing countries, perhaps you could tell me more?
A Victorian Post
My friend in Cornwall has a passion for post boxes, and I told her where to find a Victorian one, the oldest there are. Since then I’ve found several more very old ones, but never is pretty surroundings. This one is fifty yards from home and even though I’ve used it for years, I only recently realised it’s Victorian. I wonder how many other people have noticed.
It’s a shame that the Royal Mail doesn’t give it a nice new coat of paint, but if they painted all the boxes in the country they’d probably raise the cost of a stamp! Jude has a lovely collection in case you haven’t seen them . . .
Six Word Saturday
Introducing the many-legged Topsham tree.
Rani Sati
October 2005, I find myself in Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan. It’s early evening and I’ve just had one of the most moving experiences of my life. The elderly lady in the photo below has hugged me, put a red bindi on my forehead, and entered the temple I’ve just left.
I’d seen an Aarti ceremony in the Rani Sati temple, after the congregation offered puja. The temple is at least four hundred years old and was built in memory of Narayani Bai who self emolliated and became Sati Ji.
The ceremony was incredibly loud, with drums and bells reverberating through every cell in my body. Water was sprinkled around, some of the crowd ran heir hands through flames, before circling the central shrine. We were welcome to take part but there were no expectations. Caught up in the atmosphere and the heady incense, I followed, with thoughts of Rani Sati, who was beloved to be an incarnation of the goddess Durga, running through my mind.
I have no words to describe the feelings, my journal that day had a line, ‘if I have to go home tomorrow, then it’s okay because I’ve had the experience of a lifetime’.
This post is for Paula’s Traces of the Past.
In Hope, a poem for Thursday
This Thursday instead of Lazy Poet, I’m re-posting a poem I wrote a few years ago, for International Women’s Day. Yes I know that was yesterday, but you know me by now, the other week that I got the day wrong for wordless Wednesday, and the syllable count wrong for LP!
In Hope
Cast aside your veil
Turn your face to the sun
Gather round the hearth
Your work today is done
Your sisters draw near
Feet planted to earth
They no longer fear
The lone walk on the trail
Your children breathe free
The mountains clear air
Well nourished with plenty
And wind blown away care
Your abundance is here
Take love in your stride
Future perfect and clear
Go forward with pride
Cast aside your veil
And no longer hide
Wordless Wednesday
Black and White Sunday, Countryside
The Otter estuary in the East Devon AONB has long been a favourite place of mine. If you park at Budleigh Salterton you can walk along the river up to Otterton, grab a pub lunch, visit a gallery and mill, then walk back down again. The last time I was there, I was too ill to walk very far at all, just far enough to snap a couple of photos.
The clouds performed rather well for a monochrome image, so I hope Paula will like it.
Lucid Gypsy 