In the Caribbean ?
This time in October last year we were in Greece. This year Angus and Sophie find themselves taking a long walk through the local hazelnut groves. Sophie is delighted that her flock doesn't have travel plans.
The region we live in is the centre of the French hazelnut growing industry. The commercial demand for hazelnuts - apart from being a core part of 'choconut' bars - remains something of a mystery to Angus. When we first arrived here the hazelnut fields relied on the regularity of the rainfall. Now all the trees are linked to an irrigation system. Climate change in front of our eyes. Sadly this years 'Miss Nut' pageant, the highlight of the calendar, has been cancelled due to lockdown restrictions.
My shaggy companion finds the walk through the hazelnut fields to be exciting . We've never been this way before which means every single hazelnut tree must be stopped and sniffed . I assume Sophie will tire of tree sniffing after the first two or three trees. I'm mistaken. She approaches the tree sniffing with diva like doggedness.
Back at The Rickety Old Farmhouse the stone tiles for the terrace remain where they have been for the last seven months. I would have a word with the builder but he has vanished into thin air. 'The Font' thinks he's probably cashed the deposit check and is at the Eden Rock in St Barths for three months .
12 comments:
I knew about grapefruit and their effect on some medications, but I am really shocked by the idea I shouldn't drink coffee before breakfast. As you say, I don't think I can realistically act on that advice. Cherry, who is also a diligent sniffer, has recently experienced her own equivalent of Sophie's nonreplenishing yogurt pot problem. On Sunday night, with the weather finally having cooled down to her satisfaction, she ventured out onto the terrace for the first time in many months. She was out there for a long time and when I looked, I realized that she was carefully "harvesting" a pepper plant. That first night, she ate all the red peppers and then Monday night she went back for the green ones. Last night she ventured out again, clearly expecting more peppers, and was bitterly disappointed to find there were no more. It's very hard to explain that she'll just have to wait for next year (or move on to the basil plant). She will also pick the strawberries and blueberries when they are in season. I wonder if this is a PON-specific thing or if there are other breeds that love fruits and vegetables like this?
You might like to learn that the difficulty of engaging, retaining and actually getting a builder on site in not a problem specific to your little corner of the universe. I have been trying for three years to get a builder to redo our aging and rotting deck. They all seem to want the big jobs, building houses. Interesting enough we had new blinds installed yesterday, eight weeks wait as they were made in Australia, but the installer was saying that with current shortages in New Zealand of appliances and increasingly building materials builders are stopping working on sites. Might mean that they are interested in the smaller jobs.
I do vaguely remember hearing about grapefruit interacting with some drugs. As for timing of coffee - I am assuming that my 'one cup of strong coffee at elevenses' is acceptable?
Hazlenut ice cream is a particular favourite of mine. Especially as sold at Marine Ices in Chalk Farm, which once upon a time was on my cycling route home.
Regarding tree sniffing, Bertie's behaviour is different. Taken somewhere new, he's always in a rush, eager to see what's ahead. It's the regular walks where he slowly accumulates more and more trees, bushes, lampposts etc that he absolutely must smell!
Good luck with the paving tiles...
Cheers, Gail.
Glad that Sophie enjoyed her walk through the hazelnut groves - it looks an ideal place for plenty of sniffing!
We learned about the link between grapefruit and drugs years ago, from a family member with high blood pressure. They were a favourite fruit of my husband's, who also took heart medication. He was never told that he shouldn't eat the fruit, and the information came as a complete surprise when he told his doctor!
As a suffer from insomnia, through habit, I always have my single, daily, black, sugarless coffee after breakfast, but couldn't say if I've noticed any difference during the day!
The malePONs were never that interested in food. Sophie by contrast can sniff out food in the most unusual places. We've long ago given up any hope of having strawberries from the garden - the PONette gets there first. Interestingly, while she'll eat strawberries in the wild she refuses those bought at the local farm. Go figure.
Thank you for that insight. I had no idea there would be a shortage of white goods in NZ although with a strict lockdown in place it's kinda logical.
Hazelnuts are of course also the source of Nutella. Hope Bertie is holding up well.
A friend's father, a chemist, used grapefruit to alter his medications...
As for coffee, does it count when coffee IS breakfast? Also, there's a line that makes no sense: "it is reassuring to learn that a single night of fragmented sleep (e.g. due to insomnia, noise disturbance or a new baby) does not have the same effect." Since when are insomnia and a new baby one-off disturbances? Does anybody edit this stuff?
Re hazelnuts: NUTELLA. Talk about breakfast (and sugar!). Half of Europe eats hazelnut spread in the morning.
Hari OM
Yes, as a medic and nutritionist, the grapefruit connection was known and understood - getting patients to give up grapefruit was a challenge though; it seems that if they are enjoyed, they are as addictive as the other subject of your links today.
As for that second - doesn't bother me as I am totally allergic to the stuff. Even the smell makes me ill. YAM xx
Haven't eaten grapefruit in years because of the drug interaction. Prescription bottles over here have a warning label. I think the same is true of pomegranates. And CBD which is so much in the news these days.
At least the pavers make a nice spot on which to display your wine shipments.
They missed a bet by not having the pageant be for Mr. Nut!
As a small country, 2,000k away from its nearest neighbour we have always relied on importing most of our retail goods. Now that air freight is a thing of the past, our consumer goods are now coming in on ships which by their very nature are somewhat slower than airplanes.
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