Forbidden Fruit

Saturday, 27th October 2001, West Yorkshire

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QUINCES are ripe on garden bushes. The aromatic fruits on this ornamental variety can be made into marmalade.

As a member of the Rose family, quince is related to apple. It has been suggested that it is the 'golden apple' of Greek mythology. The eleventh of the twelve labours of Hercules was to steal the golden apples of the Hesperides. The Hesperides were three sisters who guarded the apples, with the assistance of the dragon Ladon.

Another tradition has it that quince was the forbidden fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, which God planted, together with the Tree of Life, in the Garden of Eden.

These particular fruits are from a small bush growing by the fence in my mother-in-law's garden. No dragon or serpent in sight.

An eye for a bird

I'm catching up on my diary and I've just written;

'One advantage of being in a flock is that there's always someone who's keeping an eye out for predators.'

It's time for a cup of coffee. As I walk past the patio windows there are the sparrows on the bird table. By the time I get to the kitchen a Sparrowhawk has streaked across the back garden, skimming over the washing line.

The sparrows have vanished but, this time at least, the sparrowhawk didn't catch one.

Richard Bell,
wildlife illustrator
E-mail; 'richard@willowisland.co.uk'

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