Blackberry-Nostalgia
Every morning, Leo and I go for our first walk of the day. Since I got my little furry companion, my mornings have found a new rhythm. It is still early, and instead of a cup of tea, I now have the fresh morning air waiting for me. A gentle summer breeze dances through the green canopy of the trees lining the little street. While my little Spitz mix is busy reading his “newspaper,” my eyes wander over the nature surrounding us. Then I stop. A few berries catch my attention. The black fruits gleam in the still cool summer sunshine and awaken a memory inside me.
Suddenly, I smile. I can see my friend’s face in front of me, her eyes shining as she reaches for the fruit. Our little sand buckets had been repurposed and were slowly filling with the dark berries. “Look, Hinderike! Up there! We have to get those!” And with that, she launched her attack on the blackberry bush. Wearing nothing but shorts and knee socks, we pushed our legs deeper and deeper into the bushes. Accompanied by the occasional “Ouch!” and a few words I would rather not include here, we ventured further and further into the thorny undergrowth. “I’ve almost got them. Hold on to me!” My arms wrapped around her waist like iron clamps. Our daring mission was rewarded, and more and more precious berries found their way into the little buckets. With the bucket handle between her teeth, she stretched and reached farther and farther into the prickly monster. “There are some more back there!” And with that, she leaned even farther forward. Like two stuntwomen, we were hanging right in the middle of the bushes when suddenly … she disappeared.
I tried to grab her and nearly tumbled down after her myself. At the very last moment, I managed to regain my balance and stopped myself from falling with her. “Are all the pieces still attached?” I heard her ask, her voice slightly twisted with pain. She still had the bucket handle between her teeth and was peering out from between the thorny branches. I reached out my hand to pull her out of her precarious situation, but like Sleeping Beauty, the stubborn bushes refused to let her go. With every movement, the prickly branches dug deeper into her skin. “Damn ditch,” I heard her grumble as I took the bucket from her. Luckily, we weren’t far from our neighborhood, so I jumped on my little red bicycle to get help. From a distance, I could already see her father standing by the road, deep in conversation with a neighbor. Like a red flash, I raced toward him. “Uncle Mannus! Uncle Mannus!” My cries echoed through the streets. Out of breath, I told him about our little mishap, and immediately we cycled back to the scene of the accident together. The neighbor had joined the rescue mission as well. Armed with hedge clippers and an axe, we finally reached my friend. I have to admit that the men could hardly keep from laughing as they began freeing the blackberry lover from the thorns. With scratched arms and legs, she finally stood safely back at the roadside. A few pieces of the branches had become tangled in her blonde hair like burrs, and tiny drops of blood were running from some of the wounds the thorns had left behind.
“Damn ditch,” she said, hugged her father, and thanked the men. Then she turned around and started picking blackberries from the bush again. I did the same, and this time we were a little more careful. Which didn’t mean that our courage – or our fear – was enough to stop us from taking up the battle for the finest berries against the thorny monster.I haven’t been quite as daring as I was back then, but a small bowl of those black treasures is now sitting in my kitchen. With a little date syrup and honey, they are bubbling away in a pot. Their juice will be the highlight of my vanilla pudding today. And then a little bit of that blackberry nostalgia will flow over my sweet dessert.
I haven’t been quite as daring as I was back then, but a small bowl of those black treasures is now sitting in my kitchen. With a little date syrup and honey, they are bubbling away in a pot. Their juice will be the highlight of my vanilla pudding today. And then a little bit of that blackberry nostalgia will flow over my sweet dessert.
