Sorry about the slightly fuzzy picture but I was driving remember and this is taken with my phone, but this is the creeper I spotted with its gorgeous orange flowers ....
(NOTE TO SELF - Try and keep the eyes on the road whilst driving - saves money as you tend not to hit so many cars in front of you in the backside if you're actually looking in a forward direction.)
Anyway - sorry to divert there for a second but I just realised that I remember something about that in the highway code - something about keeping your eyes on the road ahead rather than watching the passers by on the pavement and admiring passing architecture, as this tends to lead to the increase in road accident statistics - which believe me in this country - need NO encouragement.
But, as I was saying, i noticed this very pretty creeper with bright orange flowers on the side of the road, and I had one of those 'flashback' moments to my childhood that brought a smile to my face, and that was - the taste of those pretty orange flowers!!
I remember vividly fighting with other kids over those flowers at boarding school as we never got any sweet things and we always seemed to have sugar cravings - and those bright orange flowers are 'honeysuckles'. If you take out the middle of the flower (it'll probably be the stamen I should imagine - not entirely sure though as I think I might have nodded off in that part of biology lesson - the excitement of the different parts of flowers I always found totally overwhelming), but if you take that middley bit out and suck on it it is jolly jolly sweet and yummy, and then that got me thinking......
I haven't eaten any grass recently.....
No, stop right there, NOT that wacky backy type of grass, but the good old plain green stuff that horses, cows and other animals tend to snack upon, you know like this stuff ......
Anyway you see that light green bit of grass that I've so brilliantly taken a photo of (- its the fuzzy, out of focus bit, in case you're not sure what I'm on about), well that bit of the grass is really juicy and sweet and yummy too.
And then that really got me thinking,
"Christ alive, do you think they didn't actually feed us in boarding school or do you think I'm just slightly insane?"
Mmmmm, I think I'll leave you to decide that one ..................
13 comments:
You are not alone. I love honeysuckle... and the whiteish bit of grass.
And termites.
But that's another story.
I haven't chewed on grass for a while but used to do it a lot. And white nettle flowers too but whether that makes it sane I seriously doubt ;o)
Nuttycow - glad to hear it girl, and I hear termites are fab when barbequed - but how would I know ??!?
Belle - I know what you mean, I kind of miss the grass chewing and our long rainy season is about to set in and the grass will be lovely and green and ....oooh, oooh, oooh, excuse me whilst I trot down to the paddock and join the horses!
I love that bit of grass...so yummy is exactly the right word. We don't have honeysuckles around here so I wouldn't know about that...you're not insane - at least you're not totally alone in your insanity if you are...
Termites are fab raw, but chewing grass is a bit much, unless your name is Nebuchadnezzar.
I thought only dogs ate greass - and just to make themselves sick??
MC
You're totally mad, just like the rest of us!!
Just bumped into (not literally - I keep my eyes on the road) your warthogs and children sign at KWS -thought it looked familiar.
On the last leg of my tour, spending Easter in Nbi rather than with GF on coast - boss at KWS wanted to see me before the holidays and I can't get back easily.
Aims - think I might have to send you some honeysuckles so you're not missing out!
Mr Bananas - Nebuchadnezzar is my middle name - how did you know?
Expatmum - that's true, although I never quite understand it as grass doesn't seem to make me sick at all. Well, I suppose it might prove at least I'm not such a 'dog' after all!
DM - sorry you didn't get to spend Easter with your girlfriend in the South Coast but Nairobi can be fun too.... you can sit in the traffic all weekend instead - much more fun.
Happy hoilidays
Of course you're insane. Why else would I read you blog?
Boarding school survival foods:
"They say that at St. Andrew's the food is mighty fine. A pea rolled off the table and killed a friend of mine."
Kenton College has no knowledge,all they eat is bread and porridge. Etc. etc.
Notwithstanding ghastly fare, your pictures brought back lovely memories of stuffing termites in to bags, nyum nyum buzis (those funny salty clover type things), grass, dog rose stems, sharing one square of chocolate with 4 other kids, one kid ate chameleons (raw and only the heads), all honey suckles (red and yellow)...
Now I smoke grass (when applicable), stroke chameleons (with the head of course)(and when necessary), bathe in chocolate (just because I've never done that but want to) and pop datura stromonium seeds to hallucinate (I hear the last guy that did that found himself gazing at the pyramids in Giza the next morning). I still eat Honey Suckle though. I will always love her.
You are what you eat? Absolutely not! Lean times though.
LOl!
Yep, this brought back good memories. I chewed grass washed down with honeysuckle from when I was about 5yrs old until I left boarding school at 18. It might have been boarding school...Good to see how 'normal' and unpretentious your blog is i.e a true Kenyan.
Ty - Thanks for that and hope yours was too.
Primal - Damn, and I thought I was a pillar of sensibility :-)
Anonymous ONE - Take it you were a Turi boarder then!
Anonymous TWO - Glad to see lots of others agreeing on the essential flowers and plants fodder to get us all through boarding school!
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