I was going to try to be clever and reference a line from David Bowie’s Is There Life on Mars?, where he mentions lemons being on sale again. I checked the lyrics and after all these years I was shocked to find that the line is actually “Lennon’s on sale again”. How blissfully we drift through life with cherished beliefs that turn out to be false!
It is lovely to see an abundance of fresh soft fruits for sale in the shops and from roadside pop-up stalls. I enjoy raspberries and strawberries with my morning cereal, or I make refreshing smoothies with them using natural yogurt. One of Bulgaria’s claims to fame is the popularisation of yogurt across Western Europe.
While yogurt was known for hundreds of years in the Balkans and surrounding lands, it was only in 1905 that scientist Dr Stamen Grigorov identified the bacterium responsible for turning milk into yogurt. It was named lactobacillus bulgaricus in recognition of his homeland and the important role played by yogurt in the region’s lifestyle and diet. His home village of Studen Izvar has the world’s only yogurt museum, if you are ever passing that way and fancy a little dip into its history.
To return to cherries. The cherries pictured above are destined for homemade jam, where they will enjoy a sweet union with chopped walnuts. They have all been destoned, a process which always reminds me of a little tale from my more youthful days.
I went to stay with my girlfriend at the time when her parents went away for a few days. This was a clandestine visit, which at one point found us industriously destoning cherries on the patio. I mean this literally, not euphemistically. A few months later, during an official visit, her mother produced a jar of homemade cherry jam. I helpfully volunteered the information that I played an important role in the destoning of the cherries. I can’t remember the outcome of my outing, but I guess it was clear that a career in diplomacy would not be waiting for me.
To end this post, the cherry on the cake as it were, I share a poem I wrote a few years ago.
Eating Cherries on the Beach
How lovely it is to
eat cherries on the beach.
I bite each one slowly,
feeling the skin give way
to the soft flesh inside,
a slight sharpness of juice
giving a little frisson
to the day.
It is my birthday again
and I am ending the year as it began,
on the same beach.
This year the weather
is less kind,
early morning rain reluctantly
yielding to sunshine and blue sky.
Also I drink less wine this time,
managing to make it back to
the little hut without falling over,
but not before taking a naked swim
in the moonpath.
I am sorry there is no
photograph to share,
my posterior caught for posterity.
You have to be thankful
for these little gifts.
Psychologist on the Move 