Mangoes Galore!

Yes I never thought in my lifetime that I would be dealing with a glut of mangoes. Pears, apples peaches, blackberries, plums are fruits I have had to cope with before but the exotic fruit mango, well that is a new challenge. At the moment there are mangoes dropping and rotting from trees everywhere. It has been an exceptional crop and I hadn't realised that there were so many mango trees around. The two mango trees that I am "harvesting" are actually in my neighbours garden but overhang mine and I am just picking the fallen fruit before they rot which is incredibly quickly. I seem to be in competition with dogs, birds, insects and occasionally my neighbour but apart from using them in salads when they are greener the Sabahans don't seem to be using them as much as I thought they might and there must be tons rotting around the place. They are an awkward fruit to peel and especially with the big stone, not to mention the bugs inside! Anyway I've persevered and the many things that I have been doing with the mangoes apart from eating them as a fruit are yoghurt and mango smoothies and put in the freezer become yoghurt and mango sorbet/icecream ( delicious!) mango juice with or without a splash of gin goes down very nicely too but the most time consuming and successful mango use has been my mango chutney. I have done 3 batches - all a bit different depending on what I have in the house but all very nice. I think my favourite one is mango and ginger and the difference in the mango chutney that I have bought is that mine is really chunky and you can see the mangoes. One of the reasons for embarking on making chutney is to encourage Sophia, my dear friend and neighbour to start making it to sell to the tourist market. I keep telling her that it is all about marketing and selling the jungle of Borneo aspect. Anyway for those people who have asked about Sarong & Ko, well after I broke my arm my sewing slowed down rather but Sophia has continued to take orders and  I am acting more as her "advisor". She now is at the stage where she is going to work a four day week and spend one day at home sewing and making chutney (perhaps?) So before the end of my contract which is approaching quickly, I'm hoping to see her established in her self-employed career.

My Clever Gen at her graduation

  Last weekend was Gen's graduation which of course I wasn't present for. That was a very hard decision and I would have gone for just the day if she hadn't been so vehement that it was a silly plan. However Andrew, Patrick, Tanya and Anthony joined Naomi, Neil , Matthew and of course Gen for a weekend of celebrations. They had a wonderful time together and it was difficult and sad for me to be here but they were very good in keeping me informed with photos from start to finish - mobile phones are wonderful things and of course I was able to skype too. So for those of you who have been following my blog from the beginning, Gen started university in Glasgow in the September after I left for Borneo in 2011. She has managed to work as a waitress, sing, dance, travel, have fun and still come out with a very good 2:1 (0.13 away from a first!) in Business Studies. I'm very proud of her and thrilled that she has been offered a graduate scheme with a proper salary starting in September in Dublin. Andrew and I are proud too that Gen is the last of our five clever children to go through university and that now all our children are in employment - hooray!!!

A Harry Potter party last weekend