With the days getting shorter, so are the cucumbers but today's harvest is enough for a nice cucumber-in-oil-and-vinegar-with-a-bit-of-pepper-and-salt-and-some-onion salad - or just as they are with a pinch of salt.
Although my days of reading the Grass Roots Magazine are long behind me, I confess I flirted with the idea of self-sufficiency and eco-living but pulled myself up short well before my only wardrobe consisted of wellies, an old shirt, and trousers that could stand up on their own.
For a short time in my life, my trouser pockets always contained a folding knife, broken seed markers, short lengths of recycled string and, of course, soil, and the only way to get my hands clean again was to dip them in battery acid. I knew things had gone too far when total strangers began to put money into my hat.
As for true self-sufficiency - don't make me laugh! The saying "No man is an island" covers that particular topic nicely, and while I live within driving distance of Woolies, Coles, and Aldi, I happily let them supply me with everything I need - which doesn't include cucumbers just yet!
