Fantastic Figs

Ah, 'tis fig season as evidenced by my quite literaly stumbling across their flesh strewing the footpath. I happened to be playing that game where you sense your surroundings using only four of the five senses. On this occasion it was minus sight and the first indication that anything was out of the ordinary was the overwhelmingly sweet figgyish odor wafting directly up my nostrils. (Then came the inevitable smushing of said figs into the unyielding macadam). What a pity they lie wasted; rotting where they fall.

Figs make me think of 3 things: Astronauts, strangling and paradise. Let me explain.

1.A few years ago I was walking from Henderson out to Piha on the west coast via West Coast rd which wound up through the Waitakare Ranges. On my way I got chatting to an old lady and her two little yappy dogs about her laden fig tree. But whilst I was angling for a delicious morsel she was more intent on regaling me with adventures of her space travels. It was quite weird.

2. Next, they remind me of the massive 500 odd year-old strangler figs lurking deep in some tropical rain forest and my desire to climb one. The young figlet starts life nestled safely in the branches of some unsuspecting host tree. As it grows it sends down roots that fuse and wind their way down the host binding it into a living chamber and causing it's eventual death. Now, that's pretty impressive in my books.

3.And finally, yes, back to the garden where it all began. Human's vain attempt to cover their nakedness. The fig leaf was probably a good choice as it is rather large on the scale of fruit tree leaves but also inadequate as it rips and tears far too easily to be of any material use (believe me, I have tried).