Tweet Lemons, Amalfi Originally uploaded by courgettelawn. Having had a very lemony dinner, it reminded me of the lemons I met in Amalfi last year. These were being sold in one of the local green grocers. Amalfitan lemons are too big to hold comfortably in the hand but the feel of their knarled skins sends [...]
Archive | January, 2006
A whiff of Spring
TweetThe air smelt different this morning, and it buzzed. I am excited for Spring. This was late Spring in Roman Ostia last year.
Yalda
Tweet As blue skies struggle against the greyest, dampest of weather, I fondly think back to seasonal festivities in late December. Last year I celebrated Yalda, the Persian (and Zoroastrian) festival of the Winter Solstice. An early, thickly fogged morning travelling to Stonehenge with Sheherazad, Tom and Doug was rewarded with one of the most [...]
Orange tree, Rome
Tweet Orange tree, Rome Originally uploaded by courgettelawn. Tom took this photo when he came to visit me when I was staying at the British School at Rome last year. The BSR have orange and lemon trees in their courtyard garden (cortile). They were beautiful, but some of the fruit were quite vile. Click on [...]
The Respect agenda
TweetToday, the British government lauched its new (well it had to be ‘new’ didn’t it?) ‘Respect agenda’. I can here it now, “about time too,” “bloody yobs, something needs to be done” etc., etc. But what does it all mean? Many of us have suffered the stupid behaviour of other people, perhaps having to live [...]
Tangerine quartz
TweetYesterday, I bought an amazing bed of tangerine quartz. Today, I have been trying to find out what causes the fabulous tangerine-orange hue. The colouring is translucent and comes from the surfaces of the quartz, rather than from the inclusion of a foreign mineral within. Tom (my extremely excellent other half) asked about what causes [...]
Good friends
TweetSome of my many good friends and kin have already made lovely comments. I am very touched. It makes me feel all orangey inside. Nice. Thanks +
Happy flowers
Tweet Why is it that no matter how much you tread on a lawn with daisies, these beauties always spring back up again with their pure white and proud petals and their sunny centres? To me, daisies demonstrate that there is a place in this idiotic world for eternal optimism and unconditional happiness. They keep [...]
The beautiful life
Tweet These two ladybirds were mating on the leaves of one of the leaves of an oriental poppy in our garden (May 2005). It’s good to see these things still happen in the middle of one of the most innocuous cities in Britain. How wonderful.
Oranges in winter
TweetSweet orange, Citrus sinensis. This one here is still on its tree in March, in the centre of Rome, after the rain. The finest marmalade is made from Seville or bitter oranges, pithy and full of large pectin-filled pips, Citrus aurantium. Apparently, oranges are considered to be berries as they hold multiple seeds (pips) and [...]
