I had to smile (but quietly, and to myself). This week, youngest son and daughter-in-law became the happy owners of their first long-term home together (if you discount the Bongo they travelled and lived in for a few months).
It’s a sturdy little house and needs complete renovation. They’ve already started deconstructing bits of it ready to make it habitable again.
And what was one of their first priorities? Well, they’ve managed to arrange to take on a nearby allotment.
So why was I (oh so quietly! and happily!) smiling? Well, this is the son who when he was growing up, from the age of 2 until close to 20 ate almost no vegetables and almost no fruit. And no, I really, truly, am not exaggerating. He had eclectic food choices – marmite, pasta (always, plain, hot or cold), salami, olives, bread, eggs: they were his foods of choice throughout those years.
His only interest in the allotment was as a play space.
And now? well, he’s a great cook, he loves good fresh food, eats and enjoys most foods, and is keen to keep hens as well as grow stuff. And I have no doubt at all that he (and she) will do it, and do it well. He’s a man who can turn his hand to most things.
When I did things she approved of, my mum aways used to say: “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree”. Well, it seems like this apple has landed right underneath it. I’m sure there will be apple trees in there somewhere. He may not eat apples (yet?), but daughter-in-law certainly does!
the magic jug 