Stuffed asparagus!

Well, it’s not just me thinking this “official drought” is causing problems. The Asparagus Festival (yep, that’s for real) tomorrow has had to be cancelled.http://britishasparagusfestival.org/ The recent – and continuing – rain has royally stuffed the “gras” – asparagus – crop for now. 

cakes topped with marzipan asparagus

Hopefully the auction  (27th May at the Fleece Inn, Bretforton) and other events at the end of May will be luckier with the weather. 

Brewer's dray

It is one of the more eccentric local events! 

In previous years we have popped along to the Fleece Inn at Bretforton and been entertained by anything from mediaeval or Morris dancing to craft fairs and draught horses…

Henry Sandon

 

The expert and affable Henry Sandon is a feature of the celebrations this year as well. I don’t think our attic will be furnishing excitement for Henry’s valuations this (or any) year!

What I took to be a one-off appearance of Gus, the Asparagus Man turns out to be a regular feature also.

Man dressed as asparagus, eating a burger. Best not to ask why...

I suspect the identity of the terminally embarrassed actor inside the green felt suit varies from year to year, in order to offer the chance of this career-enhancing performance to as many young thespians as possible…

The faintly surreal vision of a stick of asparagus tucking into a burger will stay with me for some time.

Despite the gentle mockery here, it’s a bit of fun, so fingers crossed for the 27th. 

Morris man with mug of beer

shearing machine

Dray man in bowler hat

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Glad to be wrong

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I suddenly realised today that it’s five years since I was headed to the hospital for a bone scan to see if, or how far, the recently diagnosed inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) had spread.

It had taken since the previous November to pin down the diagnosis, with a series of tests and biopsies proving uncertain until April 07 when the last test which the specialist did, saying it was just a check for something really unusual which he didn’t expect… and of course it proved to be just that. Oddly, I gather it was the second case he’d seen in a short time, and these were the only two he’d seen in his career.

What hit me again when I remembered this was the total feeling of doom with which I went to the scan, family history being against me, as I suspected, and having taken 6 months to diagnose the damned thing, I felt sure that the scan would reveal the worst. I’ve never been so pleased to be proved wrong.

I also recall the fervent vow I made to myself to make the most of what I have. 5 years on (and at the time, 5 years seemed as if it might be my allotted span if I was lucky) I’m still here, and on a grumpy day need to remind myself of that vow. It’s all too easy to slip back into taking things – and people – for granted.

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Ça continue…

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A belated post thanks to a malevolent little bug which effectively felled me this last week.

We ended up in France on the weekend of the first round of elections for our ‘maiden’ twinning trip…  The embargo  on exit poll & early results until 8pm doesn’t actually preclude speculation (as here), it just changes the nature of it. Always interesting to compare the processes. The internet was a constant companion to the TV as our hosts watched the events unfolding, and it was slightly hypnotic, tracking the narrowing gap between the two main players. Having been ill this week I have failed to follow the details of the sinuous dance since, as the two sway to and fro to attract the various votes and the unsuccessful candidates line up or play hard to get, swerving coquettishly… The music plays on.

Wednesday sees the dance of the debate, with each hoping to fling the other aside, yet not wanting to take too many risks, less a passionate tango than a stilted gavotte. An imp of mischief does make me hope that one or other will provide some drama in the  proceedings and that it will prove a spirited tarantelle…

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Little Wins

A nice little surprise yesterday in the welter of underwhelming junky email in my inbox; apparently I have won a Kodak camera with a picture I took a while ago of the poppy field at Blackstone Farm, a Worcestershire Wildlife Trust reserve. I’m very chuffed, and would put the picture up for this vanity moment, but I took loads of them and didn’t keep a record of which one I sent in. This is one of the batch…

poppy field, Worcestershire

Clearly we are not talking major art prizes here, but it’s given me a real boost, out of proportion to the significance of the event.

Sometimes it’s the little wins that keep you going. A friend of mine was absolutely determined not to lose her hair during chemo (whereas I lost patience immediately and demanded the hairdresser shave my head!) and she was so pleased about winning that battle, I would swear it helped her overall recovery… Winning the little stuff sometimes really helps with battling the bigger things.

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