Is that a Coolibah tree beside the abandoned house? Every Australian knows about Coolibah trees because the bush ballad Waltzing Matilda is nigh on our unoffical national anthem but most of us live nowhere near the inland where they grow. Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong, Under the shade of a Coolibah tree, And he sang as he watched and waited till his billy boiled, You'll come a Waltzing Matilda with me. Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda, You'll come a Waltzing Matilda with me, And he sang as he watched and waited till his billy boiled You'll come a Waltzing Matilda with me.
"To muse, to creep, to halt at will, to gaze ... such sweet wayfaring"
William Wordsworth
Blackberries with cream is a real treat Joan but unfortunately this plant has become invasive and almost impossible to eradicate ... We have it growing in our Adelatide Hills.
ReplyDeleteI should have written don't eat "these". Because yes they are yummy and if we pick the ones that aren't poisoned we are doing our bit for the environment, at least they won't turn into more seeds for the birds to plant. But put on your armour to go picking ... those prickles are relentless.
DeleteI lived in armidale for a long time. This is a very familiar sign. I also love Blackberries.
ReplyDeleteA funny plant. Beautiful fruit but a horrid bush. I guess it has a good protection system.
ReplyDeletei used to go blackberry picking ... I have no memory of the prickles, but have wonderful memories of purple mouths, and rivulets of purple jucie down each arm ...
ReplyDeleteIt took me until the end of the second sentence to realise this was not a warning about mobile phones
ReplyDeleteHa ha. I work with Telcos so every time I type blackberry (the plant) I have to stop myself from typing BlackBerry (the phone).
DeleteBefore the days of bad infestation, it used to be a yearly outing for we children. We'd all come back covered in scratches, stained mouths and buckets full of berries. Mum would cook them up into the most delicious pies :D)
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