Sink or swim

Another one of those misty, drizzly days today. Spent some time this morning sorting slides and chatting over new projects for ‘Keep Oban Beautiful’.
 
I had to go out after lunch to our newish MKM warehouse as the manager had agreed to give us 100 plastic sacks for KOB litter-picking. They have MKM printed all over them, so whenever we use them they’ll get some free advertising. When I got there I thought that 100 bags wouldn’t go far so asked for 200. Last year they sponsored us with some new litter-pickers in return for a picture in the Oban Times and on Facebook, so they’re a good bunch to know.
 
Having unusually forgotten to take my camera with me I had to do an EB when I got home. This picture may seem strange, but surely it’s perfectly normal to photograph a handful of Monkey Puzzle seeds in a bowl of water!
 
There’s a reason for this. Many moons ago when walking from Cupar station in Fife to Elmwood College I went through the churchyard and collected a bag of seeds from a Monkey Puzzle tree – the ground was littered with them. On reaching college I showed then to our lecturer who immediately filled a sink with water and threw them in. Some sank and some floated, the latter, he said, were infertile. He then proceeded to peel some of the fertile ones and eat them!
 
Last week I collected some more seeds from our local tree and while chatting to a man along the road offered him one to try. On the way home I tried one too – it was disgusting!
 
Limerick of the Day:
 
Said a Scottish plant hunter in Chile
‘It’s like Scotland, but rather more hilly!’
He found seeds from the pine
Macerated in wine
Made a dish not unlike piccalilli.