Ram Dressed As Lamb

 I’m in the middle of a night’s overtime

I supposed to be saving for the electric direct debit hike due very soon.

Total false economy 

Just bought these on line from Harlow & Lloyd

I’ve message a friend in the states who I know would be up and around 

He sent a brief message back 

Ram dressed as lamb

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Plums

Almost a decade ago I planted a  small plum tree up our garden near the vegetable plot. It is still only a moderate size but in the past ten years the tree has produced many pounds of plums. This late summer is no exception. The variety is prunus domestica 'Victoria'.

When left to ripen the plums are plump, juicy and sweet. Only a few of our plums ever seem to get spoilt by creepy crawlies but the other day. after biting into a plum I encountered a small plum-coloured caterpillar waving back at me.

I can always tell when we are going to get a good crop. It is all to do with the blossom that appears in April. If the blossom has chance to hang about for a few days in settled, dry and sunny weather then pollinating insects have a chance to do their magical job.  But if the first appearance of the blossom is followed by rain, cold and wind then very little pollination will happen.

One summer there were only three or four plums on the tree but this year I would estimate we have already picked two hundred and fifty plums and there's still more to come.

We have given little bags of plums to our neighbours and on Sunday Shirley made a plum crumble for dessert after our Sunday dinner. Today she took over the kitchen in order to make several jars of plum chutney. The air was filled with the rather acrid aroma of bubbling  red wine vinegar and spices, including mustard seeds, green chilli pepper, ginger and paprika.

So that's all I have to say tonight on the fascinating subject of plums but before writing this blogpost I  trawled back in time to find this picture of the upper part of our garden in April 2014 when the tree was still very little  - just on the other side of the vegetable plot:-

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Season

 Summer seas

Lead to 

The arrival

Of fall leaves

Followed by

White mountain peaks

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The “Dont Hurt Him” Conversation

 I still listen to The Archers and will occasionally refer to the long standing radio show here, when certain subjects of interest raise their heads over the mundane.

Last night matriarch Jill ( 91 year old Patricia Greene) was having a bit of a heart to heart with her grandson’s twenty something girlfriend over a quiche.

Now I am the first to say that The Archers can at times be incredibly heavy handed and prescriptive, and to be honest that is part of its charm, I feel, but last night I felt the scene between old lady and young woman had a certain poignancy about it.

Only last month , it was broadcasted that Green was leaving the soap after playing the velvet voiced Jill for over 57 years. No reason rather than retirement was cited, but it was clear to me by listening to the change in the actress’ voice that she was frail and probably rather unwell. 

The scene she was playing revolved around a huge circle in the Archer’s storyline. In the 1950s Jill entered the soap as the lead’s second wife, a city girl, who was morphed into being a country farmer wife and last night’s scene had Jill discussing life with city girl Beth ( Rebecca Fuller) who is her favourite grandson’s girlfriend.

The scene was unhurried and full of gentle pathos with Green’s rasping vocals adding an extra depth to the scene and when eventually Jill turned to Beth and said “ You Won’t hurt him will you?” I was suddenly reminded of a similar, intense conversation from decades ago now.

My grandmother was long dead when I started courting. My mother was never privy to any partners I ever had, but I remember my elder sister meeting my husband to be many years ago now, a meeting she realised for the first time that I had decided that he was a “ keeper”

Just before we drove away from that first family meal, I remember her leaning into the car and saying to my boyfriend with a smile but in a low and rather serious voice. “ Don’t ever hurt him, or you will have me to deal with!”

It was a message , I know he never forgot, for I think it was the first time anyone had spoke to him in such a way.

And It was a message I never forgot also.

Having that matriarch in my corner .

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