Persimmons

from w
'Grandma, is that a tomato?'
'No, it's a persimmon.'
'Can I eat it?'
'No, not yet. I want to take photos first.'
The boy frowned and wondered about his eccentric grandmother who buys fruit for making pictures.
'Tomorrow you can eat it, but you mightn't like it. It's a bit like a peach.'
'What's a peach?' asks my Fiji grandson. 'Is it like a mango?'

Well, I wonder if the Adam/Eve story involved a persimmon, a mango, an avocado pear, a pomegranite, as I don't think an apple can cause much chaos. I'd never seen persimmons in my childhood, only in recent years and rarely in our city shops, but there were dozens at the Footscray market yesterday and they weren't expensive.

We went to Melbourne yesterday to visit a young Fijian man in the Spinal Unit of the Austin hospital. Words fail me about this tragedy, that a few moments can change the life of a healthy man and family.

We had left the car at Footscray market - which to me is more interesting than any mall or supermarket - and had used trains. There was one surprise in a street in Footscray when I heard a voice, 'Hello Wendy!' yelled from a distance. It came from a young street poet from Geelong who I hadn't spoken with for years. He called out 'I've handed in my MA thesis at last.' What a pleasure to see Scotty with his new teeth at last. He'd been a troubled young man in earlier times. Also, a few months ago I had read a death notice of a guy with the same name and had wondered why there were no comments about strong poetry! A different Scotty!

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And now the taste test.
The family had never eaten this fruit before so there was trepidation.
'It might be poisonous,' said one.
'I might be allergic to it,' said another.
Anyway my grandson Jordan had a go and then said that it tasted a lot like coconut flesh. I tasted it then and agreed with him - just like coconut!

I'll have a kilo of crocodiles bones thanks

from w
Yesterday after an important errand in the CBD of Melbourne which was almost deserted - and it was 37 degrees in Geelong yesterday - we drove to Footscray market for a bit of a look, shop, and lunch - Chinese combination soup. As we browsed Peceli noticed that crocodile bones were on sale and was tempted to buy but... others in the family said, no way! Anyway we did buy fish and vegetables and I took some photos to play with. This market is great because everything seems so fresh and cheaper than the shops. Last night it was so hot that Peceli and I drove to Eastern Beach and sat for an hour feeling the offshore breeze. Now some tourists in Fiji pay thousands of dollars a night (e.g. Ophrah at Laucala Island) to sit by the sea, but here in Geelong it is free. Many young families were out strolling along the shoreline until late last night so it wasn't like Laucala Island where you pay for privacy. The seaside is to be shared and Geelong is a good place to live.

More pictures from Footscray

from w
Two pictures I drew at the market on Friday were of vegetables that I don't normally see in the shops in Geelong.

The third picture is a sad tale. Lying down in front of a disused shop not far from the market was a middle-aged woman, about forty perhaps with a begging plate. She asked us for coins. I said, 'Are you waiting for your dole?' She said no. I was so surprised to see a beggar here, and a woman just lying down on the hard cement. Do you give money to beggars or not? We did not this time. Peceli said he should have talked with her more, ask her to stand up at least. We were wondering just what was her story. I did not draw the woman on the spot, just did a sketch later on, remembering her.

My Mothers Day outing to Footscray

from w
As Peceli and I will both be busy tomorrow - and in different places - yesterday was my Mothers Day outing - a trip by train to Footscray, an interesting multicultural suburb of Melbourne. It only cost $5 from North Geelong to Footscray return each. We wandered around the ethnic shops and then bought loads of fresh vegetables, pork and fish at the market. We had cappucino in an African shop and a conversation with a man from Eritrea who gave us a complimentary cup of strong coffee made with cinnamon and ginger. Great! Our lunch was in one area of Footscray market - a seafood noodle soup. I sketched a Chinese couple nearby who gave me their names and seemed pleased with my drawing!

I don't need flowers and jewelry for Mothers Day. I just wish that people were kind to one another, and there is mutual responsibility and nurturing in family life and in society.