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Waiting in the car while Grant popped into our little local shop, I cast my eyes about to see what needed photographing and across the street I spied two trees laden with bright red fruit – crab apples.
Very pretty but in my experience, not good to eat.
What I have just learned, thanks to Google, is that apple seeds contain cyanogenic glycoside which, when metabolised, converts into cyanide.
My mother loved apples but they were never my favourite fruit. I much prefer pears or, in the summer nectarines.
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My preference though is for tropical fruit unavailable here, such as the delightful mangosteen.
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Or durian which is positively evil-smelling, a combination of rotten eggs and dirty drains, which is perhaps why I never tasted it while I lived in Asia.
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It was only when I went back, many years later, that I had the opportunity to sample this strange fruit, finding it quite wonderful.
Even more divine and free from the foul odour, durian ice-cream is just heavenly.
Nectar of the Gods!
The much larger, less odoriferous jack fruit is similar, just not quite as perfect.
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Reminiscences about tropical fruit was not where I expected to go this morning, but then I seldom start out with a firm subject in mind and when I do, I so often get led astray.
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Some days ago I mentioned that Torn Ear was sporting an injury to her left hind leg and since then we have been keeping an eye out for her.
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Glad tidings.
She still favours the leg very slightly, but the injury appears to have resolved.
She and her kit made such a pretty picture that morning.
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The juvenile foxes are out and about alone these days.
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When I wash dishes I always have the camera at hand.
The rising Sun caused reflections on the window but I couldn’t resist the face.
Then Grant called me to the back door where he was watching a tubby friend who’d found himself a nice bit of breakfast.
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My subjects are often repetitive, yet I find pleasure in the small differences and hope other people will too.
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Dew drops on clover leaves.
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And on the flower.
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Or just simply on the grass, or a spiderweb.
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If you come here often, you may notice how frequently I use the word simple.
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Simple is what I will always opt for. Simple lines, uncluttered images, plain flavours.
Straight directions.
Uncomplicated designs.
Well, not always.
Variety is the spice of life, after all.
But at heart I am a simple soul.
Thank you, Carolyn, for the enchanting pictures of your wild friends, which I can never tire of seeing.
I don’t know many exotic fruits, but grow a few European ones in my organic garden. As Oscar Wilde wisely observed:
” Simple pleasures are the last refuge of the complex.”
Joanna
The groundhog looks pleased to have found its own huge carrot, and the foxes are very pretty. I always wanted to try Durian and Jackfruit, but never found them for sale in Britain.
Best wishes, Pete.
” I find pleasure in the small differences and hope other people will too.” Yes!
Simply stupendous!
I also like nectarines, but an apple is one of the easiest fruits to eat when you’re hiking (I might need to keep the word ‘cyanide’ in mind next time 🤔). Your photos of the foxes are beautiful, but oh dear, that groundhog is chubby! I once read somewhere that “a simple soul often sees the beauty others overlook” … so I think it’s a gift to be a simple soul!