Popping out for fish and chips

As a kid, living on a farm, the month of September always brought Autumnal melancholy with it as it signified our return to school and the dark evenings. But it also augured a generous bounty. Lovely bunches of sweet grapes from our vine, juicy figs oozing with honey and delicious blackberries from the bramble bushes that formed part of the farm boundaries.

Last week, during my last but longest bike ride from Amble to Seahouses and back, although I had a couple of chocolate bars in my saddle bag, I couldn’t help stopping by the roadside to pick a few ripe berries to boost my blood sugars. On arriving at Seahouses, I asked a passing couple which was the best fish and chips restaurant in this attractive harbour town. I took their advice and, while adhering to all the Covid 19 rules, I enjoyed a good fish dinner with mushy peas. The tasty meal helped fuel my return journey. Despite a slight head wind, I managed to take in the scenery and spot many poppies in the harvest fields.  

They brought memories of my childhood flooding back. Playing lots of harmless games, some that required lots of energy; hide-and-seek in the wheat fields, climbing almond or fig trees, hula-hooping by the well…

But I remember one particular game that was an introduction to fun betting although not a single franc ever changed hands. 

The trick simply consisted in forecasting the colour of a poppy still enclosed in its envelope before it had bloomed. In addition to the usual red, the flowers also bloomed in shades of white, pink, lilac, and even black. 

Each one of us in turn picked an unopened poppy, predicted the colour and slowly peeled the green skin off the pod under the gaze of the rest of the gang. There was delight when the colour was correct.

I am not sure whether I guessed the right colour more than once, but ever since those days, every time I come across poppies in a field, I am always itching to snatch an unopened bloom and pull it apart to reveal its colour.