Conversation, Salvation Army-bought jars in arm, in the carpark at Woodend on Friday afternoon:
"You picklin' things too, love?"
"Yep. Runner beans - if there's enough - and another batch of tomato-chilli jam. You?"
"Yeah, everyone loves me pickled shallots. Makin' more today."
He tipped his hat to me and opened the door of his ute, and, as an afterthought, turned back for a moment. "Me own shallots, that is. That I grew."
He didn't need to offer that up, but I am super-glad he did.
Have I told you how much I love life right now? The sunflowers are over - yanked out, composted, kaput - but there's still some of their high-summer cheer about.
Wonderful. Brightened my morning. xx
Posted by: Wendy | February 27, 2012 at 08:31 PM
Got very jealous when I saw that sunflower there, wondering how you still have any... Mine are in the compost too, the heads on the kitchen table waiting for a meditative moment to peel the husks away from the creamy grey seed. They have been there a while now. Its so lovely to hear you loving life. What a joy. Brightened my day too!
Posted by: Sophie | February 29, 2012 at 03:17 PM
p.s as I sit here at my desk, I can hear the hot jars of chutney that I made an hour ago popping as they cool down and the lids seal. From me own tomatoes that is :) Its so nice to know we are all at it together.
Posted by: Sophie | February 29, 2012 at 03:21 PM
I love a man who pickles.
Posted by: Ganga | March 05, 2012 at 09:13 AM
i'm loving your story...and it reminds me how much i love pickled garlic, and that this would be a good way to put by some of our harvest every year, as we generally seem to grow more than we eat in just plain old cooking.
it is snowing gently and quietly today, the kind that's pretty and soft, and doesn't come close to suggesting inundation. it seems utterly amazing to me that we are at mud + sugar season once more, on the verge of an early spring, because really, this winter has just flown by. and autumn is suggesting itself ever so slightly in the petals of your glorious sunflower. was your garden tremendous? {still is, i'll wager, even whle winding itself down a bit.}
Posted by: alison | March 05, 2012 at 09:16 AM
lovely story! i don't really get sunflowers here in the uk at this time of the year, but back home in sunny singapore, we grew them right outside our house (:
Posted by: Shu Han | March 11, 2012 at 04:52 AM