Burrata is the food of angels 💕 and Mark, you win the prize for the best simile ever. Rulers twanging is exactly what woodpeckers sound like. I feel sorry for children nowadays with their non-lidded desks - they'll never know the satisfaction of ruler-twanging.
Did you know, each species of woodpecker has a unique tempo to its drumming?
Top knowledge, Jo! And spot on. Great Spotted is the strongest-sounding drummer of the three British woodpeckers (Moon? Bonham? Collins? Pick your own drummer of choice) and its drumming is also the shortest. Lesser Spotted (much rarer these days) is generally quieter but lasts longer – over a second. Green Woodpecker only drums occasionally – it sounds to me more like a creaking door than the fast drrrrrr of the others.
What an engaging and enjoyable piece, Mark (as ever). I'm very sure that as a music fan you will know that the Housemartins (as in the band) were so named due to their practice of stretching the limited touring budget available to them during their formative late 1980s years by gratefully accepting the successive overnight hospitality of fans/kindly residents of their destination-towns. I believe I recall also that they used to present them on leaving with a gift in the form of a pin-badge containing the legend: 'The Housemartins are Quite Good'.
How in those pre-internet days the Hull-based four-piece effected advance advertisement of their needs for suburban stays in Derby, Bristol, Wolverhampton, and points N/S/E/W- I do not know. Fanzines may have been involved, or the morse-code tap-tap-tapping of indiepop-inclined woodpeckers, subscripted specifically for the purpose. I would very much like to believe the latter.
At the risk of interfering Mark, not with you, the recipe. I find that a little scrag end of red cabbage, left in with the pickled red onions, gives a massive bounce of colour.
Wow what a description of an early Autumn walk - perfect timing for me to read that. Quick pickled onions? Who knew there was such a thing! Straight to the top of my to do list. I fancy luminous pink, so red onions it will be and it sounds easy.
Loving the writing and the pictures you're conjuring in my mind...... Really can't afford to upgrade at the moment.....but plan to when some stuff finally falls into place 😉 Your salad recipe is so inspiring and shares 2/3 ingredients with an orange and fennel salad I'm making today.....
We have a pair of woodpeckers in our garden … one of them is a bit daft and likes to do gymnastics on the bird feeder to get the seed out, the other just stuffs its face/beak with the big suet cake I put out. I wonder which one is the male 😂😂😂😂😂
I’ll be trying the quick pickled onions. And we have an abundance of figs so the salad is just a warmer day away from being served! Lovely musings, Mark.
Burrata is the food of angels 💕 and Mark, you win the prize for the best simile ever. Rulers twanging is exactly what woodpeckers sound like. I feel sorry for children nowadays with their non-lidded desks - they'll never know the satisfaction of ruler-twanging.
Did you know, each species of woodpecker has a unique tempo to its drumming?
Jo T, I did not know this and now my day is made. Thank you thank you thank you
Top knowledge, Jo! And spot on. Great Spotted is the strongest-sounding drummer of the three British woodpeckers (Moon? Bonham? Collins? Pick your own drummer of choice) and its drumming is also the shortest. Lesser Spotted (much rarer these days) is generally quieter but lasts longer – over a second. Green Woodpecker only drums occasionally – it sounds to me more like a creaking door than the fast drrrrrr of the others.
This is gold. Substack gold.
What an engaging and enjoyable piece, Mark (as ever). I'm very sure that as a music fan you will know that the Housemartins (as in the band) were so named due to their practice of stretching the limited touring budget available to them during their formative late 1980s years by gratefully accepting the successive overnight hospitality of fans/kindly residents of their destination-towns. I believe I recall also that they used to present them on leaving with a gift in the form of a pin-badge containing the legend: 'The Housemartins are Quite Good'.
How in those pre-internet days the Hull-based four-piece effected advance advertisement of their needs for suburban stays in Derby, Bristol, Wolverhampton, and points N/S/E/W- I do not know. Fanzines may have been involved, or the morse-code tap-tap-tapping of indiepop-inclined woodpeckers, subscripted specifically for the purpose. I would very much like to believe the latter.
What an excellent story Jonathan! How on earth did anything ever get done without the connectivity we have now, but of course it did
What a lovely article/chapter. Off to pickle an onion now
Thank you Jonathan!
At the risk of interfering Mark, not with you, the recipe. I find that a little scrag end of red cabbage, left in with the pickled red onions, gives a massive bounce of colour.
You sir, are a champion, and interfering of this calibre is always welcome
Phew! And there’s me thinking I’m a meddler.
Happy so see a mention of Prof. Yaffle, my nickname since I was 11 owing to having an impressive nose and geeky nature.
I am envious of your nickname, partly from having many worse
Wow what a description of an early Autumn walk - perfect timing for me to read that. Quick pickled onions? Who knew there was such a thing! Straight to the top of my to do list. I fancy luminous pink, so red onions it will be and it sounds easy.
Thank you for brightening my day.
Thank you Kim
Professor Yaffle - love it! Bagpuss enchanted me as a child and did so all over again when I watched it with my son. A pleasurable read - thank you.
Thank you Jenny. One of the great things about having a child is enjoying things all over again that otherwise you might not
Now that’s my kind of salad and I have lots of plump inherited figs: does happy fat fig dance. Thank you Mark. Btw, homemade woodpeckers - brilliant!
Happy fat fig dance! Made me smile - thank you.
Me too!
Loving the writing and the pictures you're conjuring in my mind...... Really can't afford to upgrade at the moment.....but plan to when some stuff finally falls into place 😉 Your salad recipe is so inspiring and shares 2/3 ingredients with an orange and fennel salad I'm making today.....
It's great having you here Lucy, and thank you. I hope that salad was as delightful as it sounds
Lovely stuff, as always. Fun fact: Professor Yaffle got his name from the old folk name for a Green Woodpecker, which comes from its laughing call.
This is why we are here Lev; someone like yourself adding something excellent to the day. Thank you
My pleasure! And thanks for your Abundance.
Thoroughly enjoyed reading this! 🙏🌳🍂Thank you.
Thank you Karen
Homemade woodpeckers… smiling bigly at that
Glad to be of service!
Such a beautifully written uplifting piece Mark.
Thank you Suzanne, that makes me very happy
We have a pair of woodpeckers in our garden … one of them is a bit daft and likes to do gymnastics on the bird feeder to get the seed out, the other just stuffs its face/beak with the big suet cake I put out. I wonder which one is the male 😂😂😂😂😂
Ha ha, wonderful. And yeah, I wonder...
I’ll be trying the quick pickled onions. And we have an abundance of figs so the salad is just a warmer day away from being served! Lovely musings, Mark.
I am very happy to think you'll be enjoying it soon in sunshine, thank you F&F
We are hankering after Autumn sunshine ... a wee cloudy and damp spell has set in! Perhaps next week for my short writing retreat to Rochefort
Gorgeous writing: thanks for posting.
Thank YOU Karen