Blame the persimmons

It's time to travel

It’s nearly the time for our persimmons to ripen.

As usual, we’ll probably miss out.

We seemed doomed to travel every year just as they come into their season.

On the other hand, I’m enjoying the best crop ever of feijoas from our little tree. The fruit is huge and lovely.

The abundance of all sorts of fruit right now is wonderful for our internal health, but once again we’re going to miss most of it - for a very sad reason.

We were booked for a few weeks in Canada from late May to help Cathie’s mother Wilma celebrate her 99th birthday.

Sadly, Wilma didn’t make it.

Cathie got back to Toronto in time for the funeral last Thursday and I’m heading off later this week in pursuit. I don’t think the persimmons will wait.

Over in Tirimoana, the concrete was poured on Friday and there’s a builder on site today. By the time we return, we’ll probably have a fully constructed garage.

I’m travelling over there tomorrow with old friends Lesley and Markus.

For me it’ll be a chance to see what’s happened on the building site in the last week and for Lesley and Markus a stepping stone in their journey from Wanaka to the Cook Strait ferry, as they cross to the North Island on Wednesday.

Since I last wrote, we’ve assembled the work for the May exhibition at the Suter.

Here’s one of four little groups of pots that will be on show.

Sadly I’ll miss the opening, but it’ll still be going when we get back in May. Will the same be true for the persimmons?

If you’re in Nelson, get along to the Suter at 5.30pm on Wednesday May 29 and have a glass of wine. There probably won’t be persimmons.

In another recent development, the 400th subscriber to this substack just signed up. I’m sure he won’t mind me saying that it’s my nephew Kim, from Australia - a good way to keep up with family gossip.

There’s bound to be news from Canada in the next few weeks. We have no plans, but we may take a road trip up to Quebec and check out the sights.