Pairs in the orchard

Lots of nice contrasts at Apple Day in the Community Orchard.

the crab apple tree was laden with fruit (free to pick so I suspect empty by the end of the day).  The fruit are small and tart but make great spicy chutney.

Strange to think that all apples used to be about that size and breeders have carefully worked to create bigger and sweeter fruit until we have the tasty variety available today.  The biggest on our tasting table (top right bowl) was bigger than my fist and I ate it in 2 sittings.

I know I'll enjoy the variety in your pairs too

sorry link up wasn't working - I'd managed to put in the wrong start time!

me on Monday in October

sitting in a beam of sunlight as I wave to you all.  I’m really noticing the lower sun at the moment with how it comes in the windows and great light for photos.

And on Saturday I was delighted to capture another bit of sunlight magic with a half circle rainbow

I love how the sky looks darker above it – as though the rainbow is a barrier.  There was a slight second rainbow but the camera didn’t register that.

Only one game of rugby each day (happy with both results and looking forward to an antipodian final) which meant I actually had time to do other things each afternoon.

Saturday I helped my Dad run a tasting table at the Community Orchard Apple Day – more photos later in the week.  Interesting to taste the differences and see how people reacted to them.  Good to see lots of interest from kids and one boy of about 9 who methodically tasted them and decided on his top 3 and persuaded his mum to let him buy some.  Several people went for the red ones first but I didn’t think they were the best tasting – interesting how we associate red with sweeter.

Sunday I set our for the shops to get 3 specific items but came home with only 1 and instructions from the other 2 shops to go online to get the items i wanted.  So really I could have just spent 15 minutes at home on the computer to get the 3 items but my first impulse is still to go to the shops.  Have any of you made the switch to thinking online shopping first?

Wishing you all a good week.

pair in flight

Two fortuitous captures of the local birds in flight and I realised they go together nicely as a pair

they really are such different creatures in all their habits, even though they live together on the river.

Thank you for all the nice comments on my new haircut last week.  Looking forward to all the pairs you have to share this week.

me on Monday in October

A weekend of edge of the seat rugby and ‘wow’ rugby and my NZ self is very pleased and my Scottish self sad and amazed how close they came to winning and sympathies to my Irish friends.

And in between the excitement there was some bits of crochet – my finished Halloween amigurumi trio and trying some ideas for items to sell at festive craft fairs.

Also a visit to a craft fair with some of my crafting group colleagues to assess its suitability for us (probably) and to look at stalls we thought looked great so we can apply that to ours (some useful coalescing of views).

And some contemplation of the National Theatre staging of Hamlet – I saw the live broadcast on Thursday – Benedict was, of course, amazing as Hamlet and I loved the set with the larger than life doors and massive table and how dirt and destruction blew in for the second act.  But the costumes annoyed me (I confess to a strong interest in costuming and having done it for amateur groups in the past). Every tie Horatio came on stage I wondered why they chose to illustrate his otherness in plaid and Gertrude’s dresses seemed wrong.

Waving to you all and hoping you have a good week.