28 August 2014

Berries

I'm still struggling to enter text with this finger brace on. I realized yesterday that I also cannot manage handwriting. I can't hold a pen or pencil correctly. It's amazing how bothersome having to wear this splint is — and it's affecting just one insignificant finger on one hand. Unfortunately, it's my right hand, and I really am not ambidextrous. I have to wear the splint until October.



I just heard on the news that this August has been the wettest August in 50 years in northern France. Why am I not surprised? In Saint-Aignan, We've had at least twice the normal amount of rain since August 1, and it's been mostly light rain spread out over many, many days.


Anyway, it's definitely berry and fruit season right now around here. We've been cooking and eating many plums and peaches, thanks mostly to generous neighbors. We are watching the grapes ripen out in the vineyard. On my walks, I see a lot of blackberries on the edges of the woods. I also see a lot of black and red berries that I can't identify. I can take pictures of them, however.

7 comments:

  1. The bottom two sets of berries...
    excluding the obvious brambles...
    are the berries of Dogwood...
    the top set of berries are on Bittersweet...
    a very common clambering species of Nightshade...
    often called Deadly Nightshade...
    but it isn't the real one...
    although they are both Solanums...
    as are tomatoes, potatoes, peppers.

    Both type of berry pictured here are poisonous to Mankind.
    So now you can identify them

    Hard luck with the writing...
    but can you still sign your name?
    A relative of mine smashed his index finger on his right hand...
    he hit it with a hammer trying to bang a nail in in an awkward position.
    He had terrible trouble signing things...
    and it was in the days of cheques as the only form of large, non-cash payment.
    His wife had to be authorised to sign them in his presence and he counter sqiggled.
    It was a family joke as I was growing up....
    as women didn't handle the money side of things on my Dad's side of the family....
    very old fashioned...
    but, as far as my Mum was concerned, she didn't allow my Dad to go shopping with a chequebook....
    with very good reason, we are deeply compulsive shoppers!!
    We tend to come home with any old and often odd "stuff"...
    ask Pauline...
    I'm not allowed to go to a vide-grenier unaccompanied.

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  2. yummy looking, but are they safe for human consumption?

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  3. Glad you now know that these are unsafe berries, or you'd have more than a bum finger to worry about! They do look tempting, though, don't they.

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  4. Glad you are still snapping photos for us. The grapes are my favorite- they have so many different colors. October will be here before you know it.

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    Replies
    1. My finger splint doesn't prevent me from using the camera.

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  5. Bonjour, Ken. Malheureusement, la récolte exceptionnelle des mûres prend fin par ici. Plus la peine de chercher des sacs en plastique avant de commencer mes randonnées le matin.

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