A relatively quiet day yesterday. We had an engineer from British Gas come to make a minor repair on our boiler -- the timer switch, which we use to control when the heat runs, wasn't working correctly so he replaced it. At this time of year we usually set the boiler to come on first thing in the morning, for about an hour, just to warm up the house. But we don't want the heat to run all day, and that's what was happening. I came home from work one day last week to find the house stifling. Argh!
I also went to the doctor for a routine follow-up visit after all my medical tests in the spring. I really want to repeat that calprotectin test to see if the numbers are still elevated -- if I still have inflammation in my guts, in other words. The doctor seemed unconvinced that it was necessary but it's a cheap test so she went along with it. It's mostly for my own curiosity. It bothers me that I had an abnormal test that is completely unexplained and I'd like to either see that it has resolved or get to the bottom of it.
Olga, meanwhile, took advantage of the sunny day, lying in the yard on her bed. It wasn't particularly warm out there but she didn't seem to mind.
Our passionflower vine has produced several of these heavy-looking passionfruits. I suppose we should come up with a recipe to eat them, assuming they're the eating kind. I know nothing about passionfruit! A squirrel already got to one of the ripe ones, but I think we have five left.
Finally, Milton has proved to be the gift that keeps on giving. News emerged yesterday that the Rod & Reel Pier on Anna Maria Island, where I spent a lot of time hanging out with friends in my 20's and 30's, and which I photographed several times on more recent visits, was destroyed by the storm. It had already been damaged by Helene, but now it is completely gone. Shocking!
Coincidentally, I wore my Rod & Reel Pier t-shirt when Cherie came over on Wednesday night, as a sort of talisman against the storm. Strange to think I was wearing it at the very moment the pier was collapsing into the water.
Don't expect too much from passionfruit, to me it's one of the most disappointing fruits, too many seeds and too sour, but that may be a matter of personal taste.
ReplyDeleteOK, good to know! I may or may not be brave.
DeleteThe fungus with the leaf on top would make a great calendar picture for October. Did you find it in your garden?
ReplyDeleteGood to read (in your previous post) that your loved ones in the US are fine. We didn't catch more of "Kirk" than a stormy night and some rain, either, nothing too bad.
Unexplicable test results would me want to repeat the test, too. Who knows - it is not unheard of that results have been mixed up at a lab.
Sorry to hear that a place you have fond memories of is now gone. You wearing the t-shirt really was an odd coincidence!
I found the fungus on a tree on our street, while walking the dog. I'm surprised my doctors aren't more interested in that abnormal test!
DeleteI love the amateurish lettering on the old Rod n' Reel Pier sign and I am sorry that the pier itself has gone. It will be interesting to see if it is rebuilt.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it's odd that the sign survived while the pier itself didn't. I guess that's because water, not wind, was the destructive force in this case.
DeleteSo sad about Rod N’ Reel. The fungus looks prehistoric. What a beauty. I’ll be interested to read about your experience with the passion fruit. I imagine it’s not a commonly grown fruit in London.
ReplyDeleteI'm not even sure this type of passionfruit is the type that is regularly eaten!
DeleteWhile there were deaths and no doubt a lot of suffering, I understand your feelings about the loss of something so iconic as the Rod n' Reel Pier. Rebuilt? Maybe not the same.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely not the same. I wonder if it CAN be rebuilt. Environmental regulations might prohibit it now.
DeleteI loathe Flori-duh because of its politicians, but the people there have really suffered enough; it gets to be too much.
ReplyDeleteThis really was a huge one-two whammy, especially for Anna Maria Island.
DeleteIt's shocking when a place we knew suddenly vanishes, very unsettling.
ReplyDeleteIt really is! I spent a lot of time on that pier. But I see online that many people did -- I am hardly alone in that respect.
DeleteI wish our furnace was on a timer. I'm sitting in a very cold house waiting on it to warm up (just realized a few minutes ago it was still on the "sleep" temp - 67 degrees).
ReplyDeleteThe timer is really handy. I find if we use the thermostat the house gets too warm. The timer helps us run the heat less.
DeleteI've been to the Rod and Reel Pier myself, a long time ago. Sorry to hear it's gone. I bet they'll rebuild it.
ReplyDeleteI have a picture of a fungus that I keep meaning to post. I believe it may be a "slime mold". It's so weird.
I don't know anything about passion fruits either but why not try one?
And as for the results of your last test- sure, get it repeated. See what's going on.
I hope they'll rebuild, but I wonder what the environmental regulations say now. Rebuilding might be difficult.
DeleteYou know- I thought about that. Quite possible.
DeleteOddly enough, I drove through a town where I spend a few years of my life and was pointing out things to my kids but found myself mostly pointing to vacant lots and telling them about what used to be there. It weighed on me pretty heavily that life is so keen to erase our existence as we age.
ReplyDeleteWe think of things around us as permanent, even though nothing is!
DeleteHope your tests results show your levels are back to normal, Steve.
ReplyDeleteToo bad about that pier being destroyed. So many sweet old homes have been knocked down in my city but not by weather, it's developers building "McMansions". Landmarks are constantly changing.
I hate this trend toward larger and larger houses, replacing all the charming older ones. Who needs so much space?!
Deletethere was an iconic shell shop on Galveston Island, Murdochs, on a pier which withstood many hurricanes, until finally it didn't. they rebuilt and of course now it is big and modern and become more of a souvenir shop and has none of the funky quirky charm of the original.
ReplyDeleteYeah, rebuilding is no guarantee that the charm will be preserved! Part of the Rod & Reel's appeal was that it was very "old Florida" and losing that patina of history is hard.
DeleteI'd never heard of Anna Maria Island until my Tampa friend told me this week that it was her favorite place in FL.
ReplyDeleteYour top photo features two of my favorite things to photograph this time of year: Fungi and colorful leaves!
Anna Maria is a very popular vacation spot, certainly for people all over Central Florida. I don't have a sense of how well-known it is outside Florida.
DeleteThat is sad about the pier. I liked your photos of it. I wonder if they will try to rebuild.
ReplyDeleteI'm not familiar with passionfruit either so I can't make any suggestions.
I imagine they'll try, but I'm not sure it's a given that they'll be able to.
DeleteMy favorite use of passionfruit is to get the juice from them and use it in cocktails! Carefully cut the yellow fruit in half over a bowl and scoop out the the seed-mass and pulpy juice. Zizz it briefly - seeds and all - in a blender or with something to knock the seeds out of the pulp, then strain the seeds out. It is super concentrated and needs some sugar or sweetener added before use. It is great added to cava or Prosecco with little twist of lime or lemon peel. One fruit should give you enough juice to make 2 drinks of your choice. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteThanks for that very useful tip, Wilma! Maybe when I make my next martini I'll put some passionfruit in it. We'll see what that's like. :)
DeleteAussies often eat passion fruit out of the skin with a spoon. Vanilla slice with passionfruit icing. Pavlova with passionfruit. Probably because I wasn't born here I have never taken to them.
ReplyDeleteI fear we will be hearing about the devastation caused by Milton for a very long time.
Interesting! I've never heard of eating it straight -- usually it's an ingredient in other desserts, as you mentioned.
DeleteJudy's sister and her parents lived in Venice and Nokomis. I've read that Venice was hard hit and I would imagine Nokomis got lashed as well. That top picture slightly resembles a turkey. Are you getting ready already?
ReplyDeleteAny resemblance to a turkey is purely coincidental!
DeleteMy friends in Venice had more damage from Helene, I think. I had some friends who got flooded out by that storm.
It is sad that the pier was swept away by the hurricane. Hopefully the pier will be rebuilt. I've never tasted passionfruit. Dave being an outstanding cook might have some ideas on how to use the fruit.
ReplyDeleteI would also ask for a follow-up test. The gut is key to overall wellbeing. A bit of preventative medicine is always helpful.
It's strange that the doctor seemed to nonchalant about it. I don't like having unexplained inflammation!
DeleteGlad you're repeating the test. Unexplained results are often not good. Your canal photo in the previous post was just stunning.
ReplyDeleteI agree! We need to get to the bottom of it.
DeleteI cannot get over the amount of devastation those two storms have caused. Someone estimated Florida's damage alone at 50 BILLION dollars.
ReplyDeleteI can believe it. So many people live and vacation in West-Central Florida, and whole towns have been battered.
DeleteI've never seen a yellow passionfruit, around here all the vines produce the purple kind, I've heard of banana passionfruit and assumed they'd be banana shaped but maybe they aren't and that's what yours is? Sad about that pier now being completely gone. Do you think they will build a new one?
ReplyDeleteOh, that's interesting. So maybe mine aren't the eating kind? I need to do some research!
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