The weather in England suddenly turned hot and sunny last Tuesday , the day we arrived in London. Perhaps summer has arrived, after the cold snap experienced during the last week. I took a break in the cool shade of the beautiful trees on the walk up to Alexandra Palace. The weather remained great for the couple of days we were in Somerset, to meet a long lost Simmons cousin and to follow some other family history leads. We returned to London tonight for an important appointment to see the House of Commons - Grandfather James Simmons was a Member of Parliament, so we are still tracing the footsteps of Simmons ancestors and appreciating the historical sites connected to the family.
Today is Australia Day. I chose a photo of some Lilly Pilly berries as a celebratory image for this national day. Lilly Pilly is a common name for a plant, Syzygium smithii which grows mostly in Eastern Australia, from the northern rain forests of Queensland, throughout NSW to the southern Wilson's Promontory in Victoria. In New Zealand it is called "monkey apple, but other names used in Australia, besides lilly pilly, are Eungella Gum and Coast Satinash. The largest Lilly Pilly recorded was found in Dingo Creek Flora Reserve, near Tenterfield where I once lived. The tree now growing in my garden was once a small seedling which I was gifted when I left Woolgoolga, a small coastal town in northern NSW. Its name is said to come from the Aboriginal word 'weelgoolga' describing the lilly pilly which grows in profusion there. It is probably no surprise that the lilly pilly berries are edible as bush tucker, and make a beautiful jam or jelly. I have even seen re...
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