There's jack in my salad!

You heard right lentils and gentle-folk; this morning as I twiddled my thumbs over what to dine on for brunch at the employee restaurant, I was startled to find what looked like yellow capsicum in the fruit salad. The watermelon, honey dew and pineapple, who daily attend the bowl promptly, didn't seem to phased by their new comrade and embraced him in a 'mixed' fashion, but not settling for the unknown, I went to consult the steward responsible for such an outrage - a vegetable in with the fruits! Hah! I was informed that this little sunshine yellow amigo was in fact a JACK-FRUIT. It smelt a little funky and definitely had the texture of a capsicum but had a very distinct mango/passionfruit jam flavour. After this first encounter, I wouldn't expect I'd need to avoid the little bugger in future - because, incidentally, he has graced in many jammy and shaving-ed fashions, some of the cakes I've eaten at the Hyatt before. I shall not however seek out his company again - perhaps to trick a friend with him, ahah!, how fitting. Since adding a photo to this publication I realised how similar this fruit's green skin resembles the child of Monsteria - a large leafy green plant!

Aside from such trivialities, I recalled something today that has for long evaded me. In my grandparents [on the English-Irish side] house in Adelaide, they used to keep the upstairs. It was a magical tool which made avenues vertically challenging to we youth more accessible. The Upstairs, as it was affectionately named, was a cute pea-green 3-step, old-school ladder that had its own hook on the kitchen cabinet. Oh, for the days when we would extend a loving arm toward it in thanks for its assistance to reach our favourite Peter Rabbit (plastic) mugs from the top shelf. How many times did my siblings and I raid the sugar bowl thanks to this loyal companion? How oft did we use it to eat the underside of tomorrow night’s mud cake? That memorable estate has since been bulldozed in favour of some modern apartments – true shame.
I must confess, it does, at this stage seem that I’m creating my own conventions for what subjects I ramble on. I don’t want to reveal so much of my private thoughts that they lose their sanctity but I don’t want to bore you to tears. For this reason I do request that if, for some reason, I begin to stray from this affirmation and become a little too explosive – scare me back to reformation I beg you!

The weather has definitely returned to smile on us. The coast is still lacking some of its usual embracing warmth, but the fact alone that the sun is visible today is motivational in itself. It makes me want to sing – and sing I shall as soon as I am out of earshot of those who may be critical of my abilities. My pet monkey doesn’t seem to mind but he’s more composed of bean-bag stuffing offset by a pair of starry pink undies, than actual musical expertise.
I suppose I should sign off here, in wishing you a merry June and declaring that there are only a remaining FOUR days until I spread my wings for Melbourne – yippee!

~A-re-ku-su [to the Japanese]