GOOD THINGS

The good things just keep on coming.... and I never cease to be amazed at how blogging has become such an integral part of the lives of some of us. You see, there is a lady at bakers8 who must have been reading along with us all for a while, but at the mention of me buying a house in Tasmania, was inspired to comment, as she too moved from South Australia to Tasmania, some years ago.

So, when I wrote "Why I don't want to be a cave man", Jan was at my door within a couple of days, with not only all the things I was finding it difficult to be without that I had written about, but a car full of other things she knew I would need! As if that was not wonderful enough, she brought me a jar of her delicious tomato relish (which is now almost half gone), jams, a bag of lemons and some leaves and fruit of her kaffir lime tree, as well as an assortment of cooking apples, tomatoes and pears!

Overwhelmed by her generosity and thoughtfulness, I completely forgot to give her the promised recipes I thought she would like and somehow we managed to go without lunch... Jan, I am so sorry!

The next good thing has nothing to do with blogging....yet! Today on my walk into town to buy some milk I came across a neighbour weeding in her garden. Now I had hoped to meet this lady as she has a quince tree laden with quinces.... so I called out hello and she came over to the fence. After the usual greetings, I commented on a beautiful little plum tree just beyond where she was standing. She exclaimed, as if she was mad, that she has a passion for heritage fruit trees and this little beauty was in fact a crab apple called Wychwood. Well, as you can imagine we got on like a house on fire and I promised to take her a recipe Vegie Gnome gave me for pickled crab apples as this lady just hates to see fruit go to waste, and Vegie Gnome's recipe is superb.

"Where do you get your fruit trees from?" I asked and she said "Old Bob Magus, who lives just over the hill, near Woodbridge". Well, this Bob Magus has been featured in several Organic Gardener magazines and is such a character.... I cannot believe I now live only a few minutes from him and all that knowledge! I once wrote to him with a query about something... I have long forgotten what.... and he sent me back a beautiful hand written letter in reply. He brings in cuttings from fruit trees, mostly apple I think, from all over the world in an attempt to keep the old varieties going. Jilly knows such a lot about it all..... and Bob was on Gourmet Farmer a while back; you can watch it here.

http://www.woodbridgefruittrees.com.au/

Oh... Jan gave me the name of a man who sells chooks too..... now I think I will go and give him a ring and I could have chooks by Easter!