Nuts!

Pointsettia

Back when we were still on the road, traveling towards Bright Victoria, we stopped at a stand along the road that was selling bags of mixed nuts, pecans, walnuts, almonds assorted hazelnuts and macadamias, or better known here as macas. Well, after buying a nut cracker, we have consumed all said nuts except for the macas which are next to impossible to get into.

Today at the farmers market I asked at a maca stand how does one get into the nut, he smiled a slow smile and said there are two ways, hitting the nut with a hammer, which really hurts because the thumb gets hit each time as well, or buying a vise like cracker. No, he doesn’t sell them, but he said he would mention the good idea to his son. Won’t do us any good at the moment though, so we are off on the search for a maca cracker. Now we could go up the road to The Macadamia Castle, even get in a round of miniature golf in at the same time, but then instead of embarrassing ourselves by going into such an establishment, we could be patient and search at the various markets.

We have been driving the highways and byways the last two weeks, learning the area and all it has to offer, and if you love fresh food this is the place to be. Everywhere you drive, there is a stand along the road with an honesty box that sells macas, lemons, mandarins, bananas and avocados, all in season now. Some of the larger coffee growers even have bags of coffee out for sale. We haven’t picked up coffee yet, but we will. On one road out to the highway, if we take the road through Midgin Flat, we go up through what we call coffee hill. Beautiful. Rows of coffee trees with views out to the coast, the rolling hills in the foreground, the ocean in the background.

Steve has gone and gotten a library card. Books here are twice as expensive here as back in the states. We don’t understand it because they are all printed in the same place (China) and Australia is much closer, but far more expensive. Even books in the secondhand book shops are dear. So off to the library we go. The library in Byron smells like dead books, dark and dingy, but a card there allows you to use any library in the shire. Yesterday we went up to Mullimbimby for something or other and went to the library there. It is well worth the drive. Clean, bright, and even new books. Steve is in heaven.

The poinsettias are in full bloom at the moment. The red, whites, pinks and I even saw a bicolor today. It is just so wild to see our typical Christmas holiday decoration in bloom in the yards as a shrub. I have even taken a picture so you will believe me.