The story of my life...

They (those in the nutritional know) say that Kale is the most nutritious of the leafy greens. What they don't tell you is that few people have eaten it because it is rather an acquired taste, one which I fear is rather slow in coming. The first thing you should know is that, if you have an underactive thyroid, it should only be eaten COOKED, never raw (e.g. green juice), as it will exacerbate the problem. The next important bit of news is that you have to have a good set of gnashers, as this must be one of the toughest leaves in existence. It's best to finely chop the leaves and remove the woody stem before steaming. The final thing is that the taste is quite strong and makes cabbage seem positively bland by comparison. However, in the interests of good nutrition, a couple of leaves now and then are probably a good idea, particularly if you get them straight from the farm.

Farm-fresh kale

Basil and parsley flourishing

After a healthy dose of kale smothered in pepper sauce, I felt ready to muscle the wheelie bin up the long driveway for tomorrow's early morning collection. It was jammed in a corner behind a little dinghy, so I grabbed the front and pulled it towards me and over the gutter. Well, of course, it crashed down on my foot, more specifically, my big toe, and as always right on the nailbed, the most painful place to be injured. And to add insult to injury, it is the same toe that I dropped half a vacuum cleaner on about 10 months ago, the scar of which is still growing out! The painnnn! I hopped and hobbled to try and distract attention from my throbbing toe and eventually dragged myself upstairs and flopped on the bed, where I lay groaning for about 10 minutes. As that didn't elicit the kind of response I had anticipated from HWCFA (apparently can't fix a broken toe), I got up again to carry on with life. I still have to take the bin out, but I think I will have to put safety boots on first.

Do not be alarmed by this photograph of the toe - that is not dirt you are looking at, it's the bruising from the vacuum cleaner injury earlier this year, and to show you the replacement so that I can have another year of scarred toenails. Maybe I should just paint them red!