Autumn from the sudio 008

 

Every autumn my guardian Pauline Conolly takes me to Mount Tomah Botanical Gardens  so we can gather  Spanish chestnuts from their big tree. It’s very exciting.  It’s usually a bit chilly, but there is a lovely fire in the cafe where you can warm up first.  I thought there were  chestnuts roasting on the bottom ledge at first. I tried to snaffle one, but they were only bolts. Very hot bolts.

 

A 360% fire...very toasty.

A 360 degree fire…very toasty.

You have to walk down the hill to find  the big tree. It’s easy to spot,  because there are lots of spiky chestnut cases  underneath. Pauline squashed some for me with her boot. Mind you,  I accidentally sat on some, which wasn’t pleasant. Must remember to wear pants next time.

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I found some!

I found some!

We put them in some  autumn leaves and took them home. I thought they looked very pretty.

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Well I’m going to roast them, but Pauline said she prefers candied chestnuts that they make in France.  They are called marrons glaces or something. She said they take days to make, so I doubt if I will bother with that. And she certainly won’t!  My dear French ami Jonathan Cooper  sent me a recipe for chestnut jam. I will have to brush up my French so I can try it, but I see it has rum and figs, so it must be pretty special. Have a look HERE

 

Marrons Glaces. Yum!

Marrons Glaces. Yum!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well they have squillions of chestnut trees in England, but you can’t eat the nuts because they taste nasty.  They are  horse chestnuts….such a disappointment. All you can do is use them for a game called conkers. You tie your conker on a string and hit your opponent’s one. If you smash it  before they destroy yours….you win!

 

A very fine comker!

A very fine conker!

Engaged in conker battle.

Engaged in conker battle.

Pauline and Dr Bob went to the World Conker Championship in England once….as you do (haha).   Pauline  tried to enter, but  foolishly admitted  she had picked up her giant conker in Vienna and they disqualified her.  She had also baked it in the oven, which she did NOT confess.  Never mind, she used it as the light pull in her downstairs loo.

I can’t think of much else to say about chestnuts really.  Goodbye. xxxx

Oh, did  you know I have my very own Facebook page?  EDITOR DES  Just saying.

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