Viv Mackenzie of Port Hacking remembers her grandmother making rosella jam (C8):“It was a deep red,slightly sour preserve made from the ‘fruit’ of a bush which,like the choko,was ubiquitous in every yard,at least in the Northern Rivers where she lived. Like the choko,if you had to buy rosella fruit,you didn’t have any friends. Though I don’t remember ever seeing them in a greengrocers’.”
“Evan Bailey may be interested to know that you can get Hamster Jam in The Netherlands,” adds Arthur Richards of Port Macquarie.
Carolyn Lockett (C8) is right. Educationis everything. As evidenced by the experience of Terry McDonough of Batemans Bay:“Time to re-enrol in U3A. 2024 saw me enrol in a beginners course on Cryptic Crosswords,even though I’ve been doing them for 50 odd years. My aim was to get the nous,nerve and tools to tackle David Astle’s FridayHerald Cryptic. This old dog did indeed learn some new tricks. Mission accomplished. I’ve now completed several DAs. I can’t recommend U3A courses enough.”
“The heart-warming story of Monte the cavoodle,(SMH January 3),reminds me of a recent incident involving our corgi,Puck,as he walked Wollongong’s North Beach promenade,” writes Judy Edwards of Kanahooka. “Puck always looks like he’s smiling,which brings him numerous pats,often from young women. On this occasion,four of them were gushingly petting Puck when a young man approached my husband and,with a straight face,whispered,‘mate,any chance I could borrow your dog?’.”
“Just out of interest,how does one ascertain that an animal with a beak (C8) has ‘a very smug expression’,” asks Chris Roylance of Paddington (Qld). “As if we are to anthropomorphise,I suspect my cat,Astrophe,keeps flipping me the bird,ipso facto,giving paws for thought?”
As a result of “technology overreach”,Ron Pollak of Bellevue Hill would like to apologise to Hugh Jackman:“Spotted Hugh at my usual morning coffee spot. Snapped his pic,then saw his disappointed face. He’s human. And he’d like some space and privacy. It was reported he was worried that when such pics are posted,his kids would see it as time stolen from them. Fair go. I didn’t post it. Idid show my granddaughter (age 7) but it went no further than that. Love your work,Hugh. I’ll be more careful and sensitive in the future.”
Column8@smh.com.au
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