Reasons why Fran was grateful for carrots yesterday

Yikes.  Two days until I'm fifty.

This will tell you how old I'm getting.  I got excited yesterday because we had carrots rather than broccoli.  It felt like a real event.  And that tells you a LOT about my life.

My husband has an allotment the size of Lake Victoria and, boy, when he grows broccoli, he grows broccoli.  We've been eating it for weeks.  With omelettes.  With fish.  With pasta.  With stir-fry.

Let me rephrase that.  We've been accompanying broccoli with other foods for weeks.  Broccoli with omelettes.  Broccoli with fish.  Broccoli with pasta.  Broccoli with stir-fry.

It's hard to disguise broccoli.  It's no good going, 'oh well, if you look at it differently, you could even pretend it was French beans'.  I mean, look at it.

The most unambiguous vegetable EVER











And then yesterday, some carrots appeared on my plate.  Really orange ones.  The effect was startling, after centuries of broccoli, like when you get off the plane in Cairo and the sun's really high in the sky. 






The glare was so strong, she had to put her biggest sunglasses on.  She was
glad to be in Egypt and away from any chance of broccoli.  But then, what was that behind her ?...... Could it be?.....



Comments

  1. Steve25/4/12 00:04

    Has your hubby never thought of opening his own market stall?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fran Hill25/4/12 12:54

      It's in our kitchen. Come and get some.

      Delete
  2. ted and bunny25/4/12 00:22

    "Fran was grateful for carrots yesterday"...ah, so was Bruce the Horse!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fran Hill25/4/12 12:54

      Bruce should come round for dinner. Does he like broccoli too?

      Delete
  3. fishducky25/4/12 01:00

    Wishing you spinach & zucchini & great gobs of beets!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fran Hill25/4/12 12:55

      That's more like a curse. Wish me some chips.

      Delete
  4. Frances Garrood25/4/12 01:52

    While I do sympathise, how can you say broccoli is unambiguous when the heads look just like miniature trees? But I do think that getting excited about carrots is a worrying sign...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fran Hill25/4/12 12:56

      You should see when I get crinkle cut chips instead of straight ones. I go wild.

      Delete
  5. Martin25/4/12 02:28

    Did you know that Constable used broccoli heads as a reference for trees, when painting in his studio? I guess orange conifers would have been frowned upon in his day.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fran Hill25/4/12 12:56

      I just love that picture of Constable with his broccoli life models, lounging on a chaise longue.

      Delete
  6. SmitoniusAndSonata25/4/12 04:24

    Reprogramme him .
    No one ever complains of having a glut of strawberries or raspberries .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fran Hill25/4/12 12:57

      This is very true. In the summer, I'm very happy for him to bring home shedloads of those.

      Delete
  7. Elizabeth Musgrave25/4/12 05:35

    We have a similar glut, ours is purple sprouting broccoli. I do like it, I really do, but sometimes I yearn for a carrot...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fran Hill25/4/12 12:57

      Is 'yearn' the right word for carrots?

      Delete
  8. Friko25/4/12 06:39

    and there was I thinking you were going to say how you could suddenly see in the dark.

    Did you know that broccoli is good for you? You must be the healthiest near 50 yr old - you slip of a girl you - on the allotments.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fran Hill25/4/12 12:58

      No one has called me a slip of a girl since 1966 when I was four.

      Delete
  9. stephen Hayes25/4/12 09:48

    People looking at me would be surprised that I would eat anything that isn't deep fried or covered in chocolate, but I love broccoli and can't seem to get enough of it. Often when we go out to dinner the restaurant will serve broccoli as an accompaniment or even as a garnish, It's always passed down to me. The only vegetable I like more is Brussels sprouts.

    ReplyDelete
  10. English Rider25/4/12 10:51

    Happy up-coming birthday. Can't wait to see the photo of a candle protruding from broccoli.
    I love broccoli in its immature broccolini persona. The heads are tender asparagus-like spears, much less robust and daunting. Picking broccolini must reduce the harvest of its big brother, no?
    Some marketing person has all restaurants convinced that broccoli is a must on every plate. Un-seasoned and barely cooked, Yuck!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fran Hill25/4/12 12:59

      Know what you mean about the concrete broccoli in restaurants. Since when did broccoli need carving?

      Delete
  11. Charlotte25/4/12 11:24

    Oh my, if only I had known you ten years ago; I had a craving for broccoli and fish when I was pregnant with my first born. Broccoli,pictures of it, smell everything could make me drool.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fran Hill25/4/12 12:59

      When I was pregnant (in Edwardian times) my craving was for celery and salt and I used to go round the house with a stick of celery and a pot of salt. Must've done terrible things to my kidneys.

      Delete
  12. Debbie Coope25/4/12 14:00

    Power to home grown veg! I started growing them in pots last year, and got excited to actually eat a small, but tasty assortment of food. My favourites have been rocket and radishes.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fran Hill26/4/12 14:39

      I quite like rocket and radish, too. With chips.

      Delete
  13. BadPenny26/4/12 10:10

    Happy Birthday Fran !!! When I worked on a farm in Israel we ate what we gathered - peppers, onions & tomatoes to save money. I'd have killed for some Broccoli ( or Haggled for some if they grew it )
    I saved up & went to Cairo after the farm & saw the biggest sun I've seen in my life... then got ill from eating beans ( should have had broccoli ) and had to live on black tea for days til I could eat again. ( was oh so slim though ! )
    I like my veg quite hard ( yes needs carving )I knew a cook on a boat once who had guests complaining about the al dente Broccoli - so she said she'd boil it to a pulp for them ...and she did.

    Hope you get a lovely birthday cake for being a good girl and eating your greens !

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fran Hill26/4/12 14:40

      Thank you, BP. I am enjoying my last hour of being 49 right now. Not sure I like the sound of your Black Tea diet idea.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Reasons why Fran is desperately in search of earbuds

Image
My try-to-get-fitter walk in the fields today was a silent one. I usually listen to the radio through earphones but have lost one of the soft earbuds and nothing spoils a walk more than having hard plastic nudging up against your fragile tympanic membrane. The BBC's  'Woman's Hour' is a brilliant programme but loyalty has limits.  It was disconcerting, walking in silence. Listening to radio distracts from the disturbing reality that my legs are propelling me in forward motion because, if I think too hard about this, I frighten myself.  Today, while walking, I had to listen to my own thoughts.  And now I've listened to my own thoughts, I remember why I like radio better. The inside of my head is like a wastepaper basket.   Be grateful that I only offer you a brief excerpt.  Oh, look, that bird is - / Where did I put that mark scheme. I'll need it for - / My shoes are getting muddier./ Maybe mash with the fish tonight / really muddy / The trees are defin...
Read more

More evidence that the wrong consonant makes all the difference to a famous book title

Image
More typo-lit, one of my favourite genres: To Kilt a Mockingbird - a tale set in the Southern States of America in which a young family move into the area from Aberdeen.  The children are found dressing the local wildlife in tartan and have to be taught that clothing innocent victims in bright material is not acceptable.  The little girl (Scot) says, 'Shoot, Pa, that's the darndest thing I ever did hear!' and there is surprise all round at her adoption of the local dialect in such a short time. To Kiln a Mockingbird - a tale set in the Southern States of America in which a wise father teaches his children that to put an innocent bird into a red-hot oven, converting it into an attractive china piece for the kitchen, was bound to upset Aunt Alexandra when given as a birthday present, and if this was indeed their intention, they deserved a whipping.   They don't get the whipping; the father can't stand Aunt Alexandra either. To Bill a Mockingbird - a tale set ...
Read more

Reasons why Being Me is going to be Was Being Me for a while

I'm now on my summer holidays from school, dear friends, and I think there are two ways these 7 weeks could go. Option 1. I start out with the intention of chasing more agents and publishers for my books/beginning a new novel/writing some articles/trying to pitch a new column/entering some story and poetry competitions, but after 5 minutes of enthusiasm decide to blog/read blogs instead because it's just TOO DIFFICULT.  I therefore spend hours blogging and then find it's bedtime. Option 2. I decide to have a break from the blogosphere so that I can give myself as much chance as possible of actually getting past that 'it's just too difficult' point. I know myself too well.  So, I've decided on option 2.  You're a great bunch of followers and I hope you'll stick around so that when that I start 'Being Me' again in September or thereabouts, you'll be looking out for a seminal post about a stuffed animal or an incident on a local bus .....
Read more