Sunday 18 August 2013

Ouch

Photo from The Green Optimistic

Once, many years ago, Teo and I tried to pick prickly pears that were growing around our garden in Bitez. If you've ever done it yourself, you'll know it's not something that's worth a second attempt. We spent the next 3 or 4 days covered in itchy spots where the hair-like fibres had imbedded themselves in our arms, legs and faces.  Any attempt to remove the fragile prickle is fruitless as they are so thin they break at the touch of the tweezers. If  I've ever felt like eating the fruit, I've bought them from the kerbside sellers near the market, who use a knife and fork on a long stick to pick and prepare them. So,  I'm feeling particularly hard done by today. As I was walking up the endless steps, a bright red plastic bag drifted in front of me and I bent down to pick it up to take to the bin at work. Within seconds I knew what this bag had held as my fingers starting pinging. Despite being apparently empty, this bag was a time bomb of future discomfort and I'm cursing the cruel individual who carried a load of prickly pears in this bright red plastic bag and then discarded it for some "do-gooder" to pick up.   I couldn't drop it immediately; some inbuilt middle class ethic won't let me drop litter.  So I now have a handful of tingling fingers which will make chopping onions and squeezing lemons just that bit more uncomfotable. 

Rant over!

24 comments:

  1. Oh poor you, sounds painful. Dave was stung yesterday, his lips and chin area swelled up and he looked like he'd done a few rounds with Mike Tyson! Sleeping it off now......

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  2. I had a sprained wrist - Dave had a sprained foot. I have stung fingers , he has a stung face. We are very empathetic with our ailments.

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  3. Liam made the same mistake in our Yalikavak days. He itched for days. Never again!

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    1. Which is why I was so angry at getting caught out by an "empty" bag

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  4. I reckon a booby-trap like that justifies a rant. How uncomfortable for you to have to work with painful fingers.

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    1. I covered my hands with tea tree cream and they got better quickly - they are ok today

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  5. . . I've watched our local villagers use a couple of plastic bags, one inside the other, on each hand to pick and then rub the prickly pears to de-prickle them before dropping them in another bag. Having examined the 'processed' fruit I can vouch that it works. That is no excuse for discarding the booby-trapped bags though!

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  6. They are horrible aren't they. Our garden in France has hundreds of them....We like to look at them when they are in flower, and actually they are pretty attractive most of the year....but we decided to dig up many of them, especially those that bordered paths that the grandchildren would want to explore. Mark spent many days with very sore hands as we tried to pull out the offending spines. So I know exactly what you're going through....how thoughtless of someone, and how annoying. Hope things are feeling better by now. Jx

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    1. They make a good boundary - impossible to squeeze through

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  7. Oh yes..did the same thing some years ago. Once bitten.....

    I do feel sorry for you :-(

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  8. I wonder what the Mikado would dream up as an appropriate punishment to fit this crime....

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  9. Ow!

    We have them on the roof which means Hilary has to take care hanging out the washing and both of us have to take care when watering plants, wandering around or generally walking.

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  10. Doesn't sound like fun! But how do they taste? :-)

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  11. Oh, indeed ouch :( hope you're recovering Ok. Wonderful to be able catch up with your posts again!!:)
    Ozlem

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    1. Welcome back to the UK (can I say that when I'm not there)

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  12. Ouch and double ouch! Yes, how do they taste? They sound absolutely lethal!

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    1. IU can't believe you haven't eaten them Claudia in all your years here - you will have to buy some from the ladies in the market.

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  13. I haven't actually done this but I'm glad of the warning as they grow freely around this area and I know people like to eat them. Don't fancy them and shall now give them a very wide berth. Glad to hear your poor hands are recovering. You didn't deserve the pain! Axxx

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