Burl

This warty looking growth on what I think is an Elm is a burl. Burls are thought to be caused by the tree being stressed by some invading insect or virus. What ever the cause, the timber that lurks beneath that lumpy bark is utterly beautiful. If you own or have glimpsed the interior of very expensive British car like the Royal family frequent, you may be familiar with the wood panelling on the dashboard, quite often it is a veneer of Elm burr (burl). Many different species can produce burls. Sometimes I have found our native Beech tree burls washed up on a West Coast beach. I did find an Elm burl that someone had dumped on a river bank. After a gut busting struggle I managed to squeeze it into the back of the station wagon. Once I got it home I weighed it on the bathroom scales. Sadly this was the last thing they ever weighed. It was over 120 kg. Sadly I kept it on the ground and rot and borer consumed most of it.

Necterines

One of my favourite fruits, the nectarine is always a joy to consume in the late summer/early autumn. Apparently they are the same species as Peaches, the only real difference being, is the fuzzless skin. This smoothness leads to a greater enjoyment as you don't have the hassle of either peeling or eating a peach skin. They are thought to of originated in China around 2000 years ago. this is interesting because for many years we in New Zealand were blessed with an abundance of divine stone fruit grown in the perfect conditions of Central Otago. A large proportion of this fruit was canned so everyone could enjoy it in the dead of winter. Now days with all the big corporations striving to reap huge monetary rewards for their executives and shareholders it's all about quantity at the least cost. This has led to a lot of our canned fruit now comes from China.

Repairs

We've had to clear the house out and move to a motel while our house gets the cracks fixed that were created by earthquakes. I need to take some course on decluttering, after nearly 30 years in the same place a few bits and pieces accumulate. I quite like the look of the above minimalism.